Former Irish Olympic Swimming Coach George Gibney Agrees to Extradition for Sex Crime Charges

George Gibney, the former Irish Olympic swimming team coach, has consented to being extradited from the US to Ireland to face 79 sex crime charges. He withdrew a request to fight his detention and remains in custody in Florida. The 77-year-old is accused of indecent assault and attempted rape against victims aged 8 to 15 during his time as a swimming coach in South Dublin from 1971 to 1981.

His lawyer confirmed his decision to waive detention and extradition hearings. Mr. Gibney will be extradited to Ireland and likely appear in a Dublin court soon. In 1993, he faced charges in Dublin but a High Court challenge led to the case being dropped. Changes in Irish law now allow prosecution of historical sexual crimes.

Mr. Gibney left Ireland in the 1990s, settling in the US. A podcast in 2020 prompted four women to accuse him, leading to a new investigation. Arrest warrants were issued in May 2023, and he was detained in Florida on July 1st following a formal extradition request from the Irish embassy in Washington.