Park faces international hearing over positive doping test

South Korea's swimming star Park Tae-hwan is facing an international hearing over his positive doping test, a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) official said on Tuesday, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Yonhap reported late Monday that the Beijing Olympic champion failed a doping test. The 25-year-old's Seoul-based agency Team GMP blamed the result on an injection given by a local hospital.

"A world-class swimmer like Park is tested frequently out of competition," the WADA official said of the four-time Olympic medalist and two-time world champion. "The severity of his penalty will be determined after his hearing."

The Korea Swimming Federation (KSF) was quoted by Yonhap as saying that Park had actually failed a test administered by FINA, the international swimming governing body, rather than WADA, as was first reported.

The KSF added that Park was tested ahead of the Asian Games in the South Korean city of Incheon, which opened in September, and was notified of the result in December. The substance for which Park tested positive hasn't been identified.

Team GMP argued on Monday that a doctor injected Park with a banned substance after giving repeated assurances that the shot would be clean, according to Yonhap. The agency was quoted as saying that Park didn't fail multiple doping tests during the Asian Games.

Team GMP also said it would try to hold the hospital civilly and criminally liable for its action.

Park won a gold and a silver at the 2008 Beijing Games to become South Korea's first Olympic swimming medalist.

He also won silver in both events at the 2012 London Olympics, along with 400m gold in the world championships in 2007 and 2011.

But the 25-year-old only won a silver and five bronze medals at the Asiad last year. Endi