Park won the 400 metres freestyle event at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 and claimed double silver at London 2012, and his agency Team GMP have claimed the failed drugs test is the result of an illegal injection administered by a local doctor.

"As a world-class swimmer, Park Tae-Hwan has been extremely careful about what he takes, and he hasn't even taken cold medicine so that he wouldn't fail doping tests," a statement said, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.

"At the time, the hospital offered to give Park an injection and he repeatedly asked if it contained any illegal substances.

"The doctor said there would be no problem, yet it turned out the injection contained a banned substance."

Team GMP, who did not reveal any more details of the banned substance involved, also threatened legal action as a result of the failed test.

"With our team of legal experts, we're trying to determine why the particular hospital injected Park with an illegal substance, and we're preparing to hold it civilly and criminally liable," they added.

South Korea's Park Tae-Hwan scooped double silver at London 2012 in the 400 and 200 metres freestyle events respectively but is now facing a doping scandal ©Getty Images



According to his agency, 25-year-old Park passed numerous drugs tests during the Asian Games in Incheon last year, where he won a silver and five bronze medals in a pool named after him, and he was given free chiropractic treatment at a local hospital and was administered with a shot, which has reportedly caused him to test positive.

The news has shocked South Korean sport as Park, who is nicknamed "Marine Boy" in his home country, became the first swimmer from the nation to win Olympic swimming gold in 2008, and he is also the most decorated Asian Games athlete in history with 20 medals, including six gold.

The development comes after Chinese 1500m swimming world record holder Sun Yang, who beat Park to gold in the 200 metre freestyle event at London 2012, served a three-month ban for testing positive for the stimulant trimetazidine back in May.

Controversy also surrounded that particular case as Sun Yang had already served his ban by the time the news was leaked, and he had previously stated at a hearing that he had taken the stimulant for medical reasons.

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