The Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) has reportedly scheduled an emergency meeting for Friday, July 8th, where the topic of whether or not banned swimmer Park Tae Hwan will be able to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games is at the top of the agenda.
After already having served an 18-month suspension for testing positively for testosterone back in 2014, Park is now subject to Korea’s additional 3-year national team ban applied to all doping offenders.
Last week Park filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the KOC and the Korean Swimming Federation (KSF) to be reinstated and the CAS rule in favor of Park. As such, he was deemed eleibigle to comepete in Rio, with CAS’ verdict reading, Park “has no reason for being disqualified based on Article 5 of the Korea Swimming Federation’s rule on the selection of national team swimmer.”
The KOC’s board of directors will discuss Park’s elibiigibity for Rio during Friday’s meeting, which is also the date upon which nations confirm rosters for Rio.
Park is ranked 6th in the world in the 400 free (3:44.26) and 13th in the 200 free (1:46.31).
The Osaka Rule bans athletes convicted of a serious doping offense from the next Olympics. I think it should be re-instated. Using PEDS is not a victimless crime.
Imagine training 10,000+ hours over decades to be denied a National, World, or Olympic medal. Protect the clean athletes at all costs. Let Park Tae Hwan swim a time trial.
CAS has followed the same line in this case as they did in overturning the Osaka Rule. Putting zero tolerance provisions– lifetime bans– may be the only way to remove dopers from Sport. The Osaka Rule was not aimed at “serious doping” offenses, it was aimed at all that resulted in a 6 month suspension or longer. This link has a good explanation
http://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1011738/osaka-rule-dropped-from-latest-draft-version-of-world-anti-doping-code
Osaka rule has been rejected…hard to see how this turns out in KOC favor. Not what many want, but could be the outcome.