The French men’s gymnastics team underwent a sudden change of coach on Tuesday. Recruited to this position in September 2021, the Ukrainian Vitaly Marinitch has indeed just been laid off by the French Gymnastics Federation (FFGym) due to behavioral problems related to alcohol, as revealed The Team Monday. “The president of the Federation asked the ministry to end Vitaly Marinitch’s mission,” explains National Technical Director Kévinn Rabaud.
“There was inappropriate and unprofessional behavior during an internship which led to his dismissal. » The FFGym had to make this decision “given the strong commitments of the Federation on ethical issues, the exemplarity required of the management and the level of responsibility of Vitaly Marinitch”, specifies Kévinn Rabaud. The former Ukrainian gymnast, world and European multi-medallist, was appointed head of the Blues after the Tokyo Olympics to breathe new life into the men’s collective for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“He was the one who carried the project. We had recruited at the level of our ambition and it is really unfortunate, continues Kévinn Rabaud. I think he may not have gotten used to the post and some old demons have caught up with him. Before the next deadlines, in particular the European Championships in April, the director of the high level Laurent Barbieri takes over in the management of the Blues.