Didier Gailhaguet

Didier Gailhaguet (born 22 August 1953 in Béziers, France) is a former French figure skater and the president of the Fédération Française des Sports de Glace (French Ice Sports Federation).

National and international career as a figure skater

Reached the winners’ podium of the French Championships on five occasions, winning the title in 1974 and 1975.
Won a silver medal at what later became the World Junior Championships in Vienna, Austria, in 1968.
Selected to take part in the European Figure-Skating Championships and World Figure-Skating Championships on five occasions. He represented France at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan, before severely injuring his knee prior to the 1976 Winter Olympics.

Developed a Figure-Skating Centre at Champigny-sur-Marne and created the first winter sports department at INSEP [France’s National Institute of Sport and Physical Education], which trained French figure skaters including Surya Bonaly, five-time European champion and three-time world silver medallist, Éric Millot, Stanick Jeannette, both European medal winners, and many more
In December 1992, became director of France’s figure-skating and ice-dancing national teams, and was closely involved in Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat’s 2002 Olympic title,

Elected president of the Fédération Française des Sports de Glace [the French Ice-Sports Federation], a position he held until 2004
In response to athletes’ demands, returned to the organisation in December 2008 and was elected President of the FFSG in the first round of voting
On 26^th June 2010, re-elected President of the FFSG, securing 92% of first-round votes
An active president, his leadership was accompanied by numerous major figure-skating title wins, with Florent Amodio becoming European champion and, in ice dancing, Nathalie Péchalat and Fabian Bourzat twice becoming European champions and world bronze medalists. He played an active role in helping Brian Joubert, Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron to receive four European titles and two world titles (2007,2015). He also developed speed skating, both short track – in which Thibaut Fauconnet became France’s first European champion – and the men’s relays, with the French team winning the ISU World Junior Short Track Championships, as well as long track, with emerging star Alexis Contin winning European and, later, world medals (2015).

Results

Event	1970	1971	1972	1974	1975
Winter Olympics			13th
World Championships	19th	10th	13th	10th	13th
European Championships	19th	10th	8th	7th	9th
French Championships	3rd	3rd	2nd	1st	1st

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