French Olympic swimmer Yannick Agnel is facing 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 has been ordered to stand trial by the Colmar appeals court’s investigative chamber, given that he was an adult at the time of the reported incidents. Agnel has a 10-day window to contest this decision at the Court of Cassation, France’s highest court.
Agnel was taken into custody in December 2021. While he acknowledged a relationship with the underage individual, he refuted any claims of coercion.
The purported events trace back to 2016 when the girl was 13 and Agnel was 24, allegedly occurring in various locations such as Mulhouse, Rio de Janeiro during the Olympics, Spain, and Thailand, according to French judicial authorities.
Having clinched two gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics in the 200m freestyle and 4x100m freestyle relay, Agnel retired from competitive swimming in 2016.
France’s 2021 legislation now categorizes sexual interactions with individuals under 15 as rape, carrying a potential prison sentence of up to 20 years, bringing the country in line with several other Western nations.