Storm warning for the Vendée Globe? An investigation has been opened into suspicions of cheating during the last edition of the race (2020-2021), the president of the French Sailing Federation Jean-Luc Dénéchau confirmed on Tuesday.
“We received an anonymous email on Sunday which contains elements which, if proven, could raise suspicion of routing in the last Vendée Globe,” explained Jean-Luc Dénéchau.
The identity of the skipper concerned not revealed
The exchange of messages allowing “personalized meteorological assistance” and “routing” is prohibited by the Vendée Globe regulations, according to article 4.3.2. The “elements” received by the federation are “essentially screenshots”, specified its president, who did not wish to give any indication on the identity of the skipper concerned.
The federation “asked the Race Committee to appoint a jury which will be responsible for analyzing the veracity and content of the elements in question. I have complete confidence in the relevant sporting authority and I will await the conclusions of its investigation,” said Vendée Globe president Alain Leboeuf.
The next edition of the Vendée Globe, the solo monohull round-the-world sailing race, will leave on November 10, 2024 from Les Sables d’Olonne, in Vendée.