The national Olympic body will "take swift action" once the world's top sports tribunal rules on the status of the banned swimmer Park Tae-hwan, its official said Monday.
Cho Young-ho, secretary general of the Korean Olympic Committee, said the KOC "doesn't intend to resort to time-delaying tactics" once the Court of Arbitration for Sport announces its decision.
(Yonhap)
Park, the 2008 Olympic 400m freestyle champion, has filed an appeal at the CAS over a KOC rule that bars athletes from representing the country for three years after their doping suspension.
Park tested positive for testosterone in October 2014, and his 18-month ban, which began retroactively in September 2014, ended in March this year.
The CAS is expected to hand down the ruling by Friday at the latest, after Park requested an urgent ruling that would potentially give him a chance to compete at this year's Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics. Though he was left off the provisional roster announced on May 11, Park, depending on the CAS' decision, could still make the final team, which may be set by July 18.
Last Friday, a Seoul court ruled that Park is eligible for Rio and said the KOC has no grounds for barring him from the competition. Cho had said at the time the KOC would respect the court's decision, and there's no shift to that stance.
"If the CAS hands down the same ruling that our court had, then we will take swift action as necessary," Cho said. "If Park Tae-hwan is recommended for the national team by the national swimming federation, then we will authorize it."
Cho shot down speculation that the KOC would seek to take some time-delaying steps to keep Park from going to Rio.
If the CAS doesn't side with the Seoul court, then Cho said the KOC will have to have additional discussions.
The KOC had been adamant that it wouldn't make any exception to its rule, despite facing criticism of unfair double punishment.
Park appears to have a strong chance of winning his appeal, given a precedent at the CAS.
In 2011, the CAS ruled against the International Olympic Committee's "Osaka Rule," which barred athletes with a doping suspension of at least six months from competing in the following Olympics. The CAS said the Osaka Rule, adopted in 2008, was "a violation of the IOC's own statute and is therefore invalid and unenforceable." (Yonhap)
