Julia Simon faces possible biathlon ban after conviction

French biathlon world champion Julia Simon could face a sporting ban following her conviction in a credit card fraud case.

According to French media, the 29‑year‑old is due to appear on 6 November before the independent disciplinary commission of the French Ski Federation (FFS). A decision on possible sanctions—ranging from a warning through suspension up to exclusion—should come by 10 November, the date of the next French women’s team meeting. The biathlon season is set to start on 29 November in Östersund, Sweden.

Simon was sentenced the previous Friday to a three‑month suspended prison term and a €15,000 fine. In the run‑up to the Milan 2026 Winter Olympics, she admitted for the first time before the Albertville criminal court to theft and fraud.

Prosecutors had alleged that Simon used stolen credit card details belonging to teammate Justine Braisaz‑Bouchet and a team physiotherapist to make online purchases worth roughly €2,500 in December 2021 and in August and September 2022. The court found her guilty on all counts.

The disciplinary body, composed of seven members, has around fifteen potential sanctions at its disposal. Aggravating matters, prosecutors say other teammates also expressed suspicions about Simon, though they did not file complaints; those instances were not investigated and played no role in court.

There are also open questions about whether, under French law, Simon—now with a criminal record—may continue to carry a firearm, and whether she might face employment sanctions from her employer, the French customs authority.

Simon had denied the allegations until her confession, claiming she herself had been the victim of identity theft. She eventually apologized to those affected, saying she has no rational explanation for her actions and has been working with a therapist for about three years. She still does not understand her behavior, she said. The suspicions surfaced internally in late September 2022, Braisaz‑Bouchet filed a complaint in early summer 2023, and Simon was temporarily excluded from team training that year; she was briefly held in police custody in October 2023.

Source: dpa/sid