Why Was The Eric Favre Festival Sport Sante Cancelled?
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By Loan Cat
Unfortunately, Eric Favre Festival Sport Sante show promoter Eric Favre and several others, among whom was bodybuilder Lionel Beyeke, were arrested on Tuesday April 9, 2019, which prompted the cancellation of the pro qualifier just days before the event.
The NPCFrance.fr website states:
- On the 13th & 14th of April 2019, the very first great amateur International IFBB Pro League / NPC Bodybuilding Show in France will take place at the heart of the French Riviera: Nice! An event that has never been seen before in France, that will be part of a great Festival of Sports at the Acropolis Palais des Expositions.
- Athletes from around the world will come to compete to win one of six PRO cards up for grabs at the competition
Favre was placed under arrest, along with his CEO, Hubert Jaricot, as well as Favre’s two sons and some company employees and customers (20 in total) in a raid by authorities. Favre has been charged with alleged money laundering and trafficking of anabolic steroids. Among those arrested were his entourage of athletes and consultants for the venue. Authorities detained and remanded them in Cobras prison.
The prosecution said that the searches carried out led to the seizure of about €134,000 in cash and many anabolic products, including steroids and growth hormones. Arrests reportedly took place on Tuesday in the Rhone and Paris regions, Nice, Bordeaux, Mulhouse, Belgium and Luxembourg.
In 2016, police intercepted a package from Thailand to an address in Rhône. The package contained anabolic steroids. A police investigation then opened in 2017. According to Agence France-Presse, French authorities in Lyon identified bodybuilders engaged in the sales and purchase of doping products. French authorities say that Favre’s company based in Luxembourg and the Les Trois Chênes laboratories have been suspected.
After a week of detention, causing him to miss the competition and two events, Lionel Beyeke was released on Monday. He posted a statement on his Instagram page, detailing part of the ordeal.
Beyeke wasn’t the only athlete to miss out on the event. Sadly, the athletes only received a short letter apologizing for the inconvenience while offering a refund.
This chain of events has been a shock within the bodybuilding community to say the least. Our hearts go out to the athletes who weren’t able to compete. We know the dedication and strain preparing for competition can cause, as well as the devastation of not being able to share your hard work. We hope the league opens up another opportunity to allow those athletes to compete in another pro qualifier. Please don’t let these events deter you from future competitions.