French Olympic swimmer Yannick Agnel is facing a trial for alleged rape and sexual assault involving the 13-year-old daughter of his former coach, as confirmed by the prosecutor general’s office in Colmar.
The 33-year-old Agnel has been ordered by the Colmar appeals court’s investigative chamber to stand trial due to being an adult at the time of the reported incidents. He has a 10-day window to contest this decision at France’s highest court, the Court of Cassation.
Agnel was initially taken into custody in December 2021. While he acknowledged a relationship with the underage girl, he denied any form of coercion.
The alleged events trace back to 2016, when the girl was 13 years old and Agnel was 24. They are reported to have taken place in various locations, including Mulhouse, Rio de Janeiro during the Olympics, Spain, and Thailand, as stated by French judicial officials.
Having earned two gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics in the 200m freestyle and 4x100m freestyle relay, Agnel retired from competitive swimming in 2016.
In 2021, France’s law was updated to classify any sexual activity with individuals under 15 as rape, carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, aligning the country with the standards of many other Western nations.