Park Tae Hwan fails doping test; states it’s the hospital’s mistake

South Korean Olympic gold medalist swimmer Park Tae Hwan has failed his doping test. However, his management has attributed it to “an illegal injection made by a local doctor.”

The World Anti-Doping Agency announced on January 26th that the swimmer had tested positive for doping while Park’s representation has explained the situation.

According to his management, “Park received a free chiropractic treatment about two months before the Asian Games where he also received the shot. Prior to the injection, Park repeatedly asked about the contents of the shot and if it contained illegal substances. The doctor assured him that there would be no problem. However, it turns out that the shot contained an illegal substance which lead to this positive test.

As to Park’s current state, “He is more shocked than anyone,” with his management also  stating that “he had even avoided taking cold medicine to prevent any possible false-positives on the doping test.

His management continued by saying, “Park Tae Hwan has been a world class swimmer for 10 years… Our legal team is currently determining the reason and the purpose that this hospital administered this illegal substance and we are prepared to hold the hospital accountable and liable both civilly and criminally.

The timing of the maltreatment and the positive doping test comes coincidentally right before the important Asian Games for which Park was named captain; this has led to some calling out the injustice and unfairness of the maltreatment. In addition, this news was surprising since Park had taken the doping test several times for the Incheon Asian Games which returned with no problems.

Currently, Park’s management and the prosecution have initiated an investigation into the hospital.

Source: Top Star News