Park Tae-hwan appeals his Olympic ban

Park In-ho, father of swimmer Park Tae-hwan, weeps during a press conference in Seoul, Thursday. The 2008 Beijing Olympic champion has resumed his appeal against his Rio Olympics ban as officials refused to lift a secondary suspension, which was imposed for doping. / Yonhap

By Baek Byung-yeul

Swimmer Park Tae-hwan, 26, has reopened the legal fight against his ban from the upcoming Summer Olympics, as Korean officials refused to lift his suspension, his agency said Thursday.

Park’s agency held a press conference and announced they will ask the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to resume the proceedings on his arbitration. Park, currently in Australia for training, didn’t attend the conference.

His decision comes right after the Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) announced in the early morning that it wouldn’t amend its rule blocking him from competing in the Rio Olympics due to a doping scandal.

At a board of directors meeting, the KOC decided to maintain the ban on Park from this year’s Summer Games.

“We’ve decided not to amend the protocol,” KOC board member Han Jong-hee told reporters. “As doping runs against the spirit of fair play, it must be strictly dealt with, especially for the sake of setting an example for young athletes.”

Han added the KOC would inform the CAS of their decision and respond to any subsequent mediation efforts.

The 2008 Beijing Olympic champion was banned for 18 months by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) in March 2015 for testing positive for testosterone in 2014.

Though the suspension ended in April, Park remains ineligible to make the national team as the KOC said athletes who have been suspended for doping cannot represent the country for three years, starting on the day their ban ends.