Biathlon star Julia Simon will be allowed to compete at next year's Winter Olympics after receiving a six-month ban, including five months suspended, for stealing money from a teammate, the French ski federation (FFS) said Thursday.
The suspension came after Simon was found guilty of theft and credit card fraud by a French court last month and handed a three-month suspended prison sentence.
The court ruling had left a question mark over her participation at the Olympics in Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo. The ski federation's disciplinary commission decided to suspend most of her sporting ban, allowing her to return to competition in time for the Games, which begin Feb. 6.
Simon was also handed a 30,000 euros ($34,600) fine, with 15,000 euros suspended. The amount must be paid within six months to the federation and will be used to support the training of young biathletes.
The decision takes effect on Nov. 7, meaning Simon can compete on the World Cup circuit in the build-up to the Olympics.
Simon and the federation can appeal the decision.
Simon was accused of repeatedly using the bank card of her teammate Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and that of a French team staff member to make online purchases totaling more than 2,000 euros. She admitted the thefts and offered apologies to the victims.
“I can’t explain it. I don’t remember doing it. I can’t make sense of it,” Simon said during her trial.
Simon has claimed 10 world titles and won an Olympic silver medal for France in the mixed relay at the 2022 Beijing Games.
AP Winter Olympics at https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Much Ado About Nothing: A Modern Verse Translation, tells the timeless and hilarious story o… Read moreMills High School Much Ado About Nothing: A Modern Translation
Join us to meet Simi Monheit, the author of The Goldie Standard, and the 2024 Winner of the … Read moreMeet the Award-Winning Author of The Goldie Standard
All SMUHSD, staff, parents, and community members are invited to a panel discussion on dam r… Read moreWater is Life: Victories and Challenges in Water Equity in an Age of Climate Change
Dirk van Ulden said:
JustMike650 said:
guest39e3ec25a9038cca03053dfc said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.