Park Tae-hwan Makes Last Attempt to Lift Olympic Ban

South Korean swimmer, Park Tae-hwan, appealed to the international court after the Korean Olympic Committee refused to lift a ban that would allow him to swim at the Rio Olympics.

Park, who completed an 18-month ban due to a doping violation, was excluded from the preliminary roster for the Olympics by the KOC on May 7. The KOC refused to change its rule of not allowing national athletes to participate in the Olympics after a violation. However, Park is playing his last card by appealing to the international Court of Arbitration of Sport. 

"We had no choice but to file the appeal with the CAS given legal counsels' advice that the KOC's announcement on May 7 would reaffirm the ban," Park's coach said. 

According to an article by Chosun, the KOC was given 5 days to respond to the appeal on whether its ban towards Park would be final. Their answer is due on Tuesday. The report adds that Park is expected to meet with the KOC secretary general, Cho Young-ho, on May 25. 

The final roster of athletes for the 2016 Summer Olympics is due on July 18.