Former Ireland swimming coach George Gibney sentenced to 15 years and six months

Former Irish Olympic swimming coach George Gibney was sentenced by Dublin's Central Criminal Court to 15 years and six months in prison in a case involving sexual abuse of underage athletes, RIA Novosti reported, citing The Guardian. TASS and RBC also reported the sentence. Gibney, 78, had been convicted in July on 39 counts of indecent behaviour and one count of attempted rape, according to RIA Novosti and TASS. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]

RIA Novosti reported that the crimes were committed in the 1970s and 1980s against four underage girls. It quoted the judge describing Gibney as a manipulative predator who had gained the trust of children in his care. The judge said the sentence reflected the severity of his crime and that his formerly unblemished reputation was now destroyed, the outlet reported. [ 1 ]

Gibney coached Ireland's team at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and the 1988 Games in Seoul. RIA Novosti reported that he faced 27 charges of sexual offences against minors in the 1990s, but Ireland's Supreme Court ruled in 1993 that he could not stand trial because of the time elapsed since the alleged crimes. He later left Ireland for the United States, living in Colorado, California and Florida. [ 1 ]

Journalists continued investigating the case, and a BBC podcast released in 2020 renewed attention, RIA Novosti reported. Victims who had been minors when the abuse occurred gave new testimony to Irish police between 2020 and 2022. That led to new charges and an extradition warrant. Gibney was extradited from the United States to Ireland in 2025, according to RIA Novosti and RBC. [ 1 , 3 ]