French Olympic swimmer Yannick Agnel is facing legal proceedings for alleged rape and sexual assault involving his former coach’s 13-year-old daughter, as confirmed by the prosecutor general’s office in Colmar.
The 33-year-old has been ordered by the Colmar appeals court’s investigative chamber to stand trial for the offenses he allegedly committed as an adult. Agnel has the option to contest this decision within 10 days at France’s highest court, the Court of Cassation.
Agnel was taken into custody in December 2021 and acknowledged a connection with the underage girl but refuted any claims of coercion.
The reported incidents took place in 2016 when the girl was 13 and Agnel was 24, spanning various locations such as Mulhouse, Rio de Janeiro (during the Olympics), Spain, and Thailand, according to French judicial authorities.
Having achieved two gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics in the 200m freestyle and 4x100m freestyle relay, Agnel retired from professional swimming in 2016.
Under France’s 2021 legislation, engaging in sexual activity with individuals below 15 years old is now categorized as rape, punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison, bringing the country in line with numerous other Western nations.