Coroner Rules Water Polo Coach's Death Suicide

A coroner has ruled that Andrew McGinty, a 34-year-old national water polo coach for England and Great Britain, died by suicide after his body was found in a Bury hotel room last December.

The final inquest into McGinty's death took place on April 20 at Rochdale Coroners Court. McGinty, who lived in Higher Blackley in north Manchester, checked into the Village Hotel in Bury on December 16 and was scheduled to leave two days later. When he did not check out, hotel staff forced entry into his room, which was secured by a chain from the inside. They discovered his body on the bed, as detailed in earlier proceedings.

Senior Coroner Joanne Kearsley determined the medical cause of death as suffocation and asphyxiation. She concluded that the circumstances indicated McGinty had deliberately taken his own life, recording a verdict of suicide.

McGinty was a prominent figure in British water polo, coaching age-group squads for England and Great Britain. He served as a key member of Swim England's water polo department and as head coach for the English Schools Swimming Association. His work extended to Bolton School, where he coached for over a decade, and the City of Manchester Water Polo...