Banned swimmer Park Tae-hwan to return home from Japan training

Suspended former Olympic swimming champion Park Tae-hwan is scheduled to return home on Saturday from a Japanese training camp with hopes of competing in next year's Summer Games still up in the air, informed sources said Friday.

Park, serving a doping ban, began training in Japan in September, after struggling to find proper facilities at home. In March, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist in the men's 400-meter freestyle received an 18-month ban from FINA, the international swimming governing body, after testing positive for testosterone the previous fall. The suspension began retroactively on Sept. 3, 2014, the day FINA collected his samples.

Under FINA's anti-doping policy, Park isn't permitted to train at facilities operated by the government or by his national swimming federation. He had been working out at a public pool in Seoul since June, but he could only train there two hours a day.

Park, 26, had been scheduled to work out at Hosei University in Tokyo but ended up in Osaka instead. He was later joined by his long-time coach Roh Min-sang.

Once he returns home, Park will remain here for the time being, according to the sources.

Park, the only South Korean swimmer to win an Olympic medal and a world championship, has claimed he was injected with an illegal substance without his knowledge. Prosecutors have recommended a 10-month jail term with a fine of 1 million won ($850) for the doctor who gave Park the contested shot. The sentencing is slated for next Thursday.

Park's suspension will end on March 2, 2016, but during the final two months of the suspension, he'll be allowed to train at national facilities.

It remains unclear, however, if he will be able to compete at next year's Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Under a rule instituted by the Korean Olympic Committee in July last year, athletes who've served a drug suspension are ineligible for national teams in any sport for three years, starting on the day the suspension ends.

Some people in the legal community are pressuring the KOC to change the rule, claiming it unfairly punishes athletes twice. Yet the KOC has postponed any related discussion on potential amendments to March, after it completes administrative steps to unify and integrate national sports federations.

The Olympic team trials are set for February and April.

Swimmers may participate in any of the two events and will qualify for a spot on the national team if they beat the qualifying time standards. (Yonhap)