Biathlon scandals: “That’s very close to treason!”

Two damaging headlines around France’s national biathlon team have triggered an uproar, drawing harsh criticism from former Swedish athletes.

Mona Brorsson, ex-biathlete and now TV expert, blasted Julia Simon over the credit card affair, saying on SVT: “That comes very close to treason.” The issue involving Simon and her teammate Justine Braisaz‑Bouchet preoccupied the French team for months.

Simon recently admitted in court that she stole the credit cards of teammate Braisaz‑Bouchet and a national-team staffer and used them for purchases. A criminal court handed her a three‑month suspended prison sentence and a €15,000 fine. Simon was also excluded from the team until December.

But the turmoil did not end there. According to multiple French media reports, Jeanne Richard allegedly secretly manipulated the rifle of teammate Océane Michelon before a race late last season—reportedly by altering the diopter sight. Brorsson and fellow Swedish Olympic champion‑turned‑pundit Björn Ferry reacted with disbelief.

“It’s absolutely unbelievable. It’s as close to betraying your teammates as an athlete can get,” Brorsson said. “Sure, it’s competition, but that’s unforgivable. I don’t understand how they can stay together; I could never have forgiven it.” Ferry added that changing a teammate’s diopter for self‑advantage is “incredible,” questioning how Richard can remain part of the team and asking how such a situation could ever truly be resolved.

The French federation’s handling of the Simon case—she remains eligible to compete for France despite the conviction—has also raised questions as the biathlon World Cup season approaches.