By Baek Byung-yeul
Swimmer Park Tae-hwan faces new questions after the revelation that he tested positive for a banned substance: Why and how many times did he receive the injections from a non-specialist?
According to media reports Wednesday, Park visited the clinic in question, inside a Seoul hotel, more than 10 times.
The clinic is known for specializing in anti-aging and skin care, not for treating professional athletes.
Latest media reports have quoted a clinic official, who was a member of the special team in charge of Park, claiming the swimmer visited the clinic many times.
The clinic reportedly did not share Park’s medical records with the coaching team and provided the athlete, 25, with free chiropractic care as part of the clinic’s star marketing strategy. The clinic could not be reached for a comment.
Park has blamed the clinic for the scandal. But some experts are questioning his morality as an athlete.
“Usually, an athlete who gets a hormone shot can feel right away that his or her exercising ability is improving,” said Lee Jong-ha, a professor at the Kyung Hee University Medical Center’s rehabilitation center said.
“The male hormone with which Park was allegedly injected, is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The hormone could really help boost his ability to swim, even if he had only one injection,” he said.
Two months after his doctor administered the hormone injection, Park won a silver medal in the men’s 100-meter freestyle and two bronze medals in the men’s 200-meter and 400-meter freestyle event at last year’s Incheon Asian Games.
“I doubt whether Park has told truth,” said Lee. “I feel pity for him for doing that. As an athlete who was competing at the top level, he should be aware of the ingredients of every medical treatment he receives.”
Lee is also an anti-doping chief at the Korea Baseball Organization and the Korean Bodybuilding & Fitness Federation.
Park will attend the International Swimming Federation’s hearing next month, according the Korea Swimming Federation (KSF).
The KSF said Park’s legal representative and officials including KSF President Lee Ki-heung would attend the hearing in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Feb. 27.
Park has hired an overseas lawyer specializing in doping cases.
The swimmer’s fate will be decided after the hearing. He faces up to four years’ suspension, which would affect his bid to swim at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
An official from Park’s agency, Team GMP, said the swimmer would continue to train.
“Although Park stopped training because of this issue, he will resume doing so soon,” the official said.