Park Tae-hwan not on preliminary national swimming team for Rio 2016

By Park Sae-jin Posted : May 11, 2016, 14:31 Updated : May 11, 2016, 14:31

Park Tae-hwan[Yonhap Photo]



Former Olympic swimming champion Park Tae-hwan didn't make the preliminary South Korean squad for this year's Summer Olympics announced Wednesday, as he remains under a national team ban for his doping history.

The Korea Swimming Federation unveiled the preliminary list of 11 male and 11 female swimmers who have a chance to compete at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August.

Park, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist in the men's 400m freestyle, wasn't on the list because of his recent 18-month doping suspension. The Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) dictates that athletes who've served doping bans aren't eligible to represent the country for three years, starting on the days that their suspensions end.

Park's doping ban began retroactively in September 2014 and ended in March this year.

Park chose to compete at the second round of the Olympic trials last month and won the 100m, 200m, 400m and 1,500m freestyle races. He also met the Olympic "A" standards set by FINA, the international swimming governing body, in all four, and would have qualified for Rio if not for the KOC rule.

The KOC has maintained that it wouldn't create exceptions for any particular athlete, but it has come under mounting pressure to alter its stance in the aftermath of Park's victories. Critics say the KOC is unfairly punishing Park twice for the same offense, and the principle of double punishment runs counter to international standards.

In 2011, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the highest sports tribunal, handed down a decision against the "Osaka Rule," which barred athletes who had served a doping-related suspension for at least half a year from competing at the following Olympic Games.

Park has publicly pleaded for a second opportunity. He may take his case to the CAS for arbitration and though an appeal typically takes weeks, Park's case can be fast-tracked and settled much quicker.

The list announced Wednesday isn't final because only five of the swimmers, all female, have met FINA's Olympic A standards to secure their Rio berths. The rest of the swimmers have only passed the "B" standards, and they must wait for the final world rankings among those who've met the B qualifying times.

The deadline to submit the final national team roster is July 18.


(Yonhap)
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