New date set for Park's doping hearing

Park, who became the first South Korean to win an Olympic swimming medal when he powered to gold in the 400 metres freestyle at the 2008 Beijing Games, failed a doping test in early September ahead of the Incheon Asian Games.

The hearing had originally been set for Feb. 27 but swimming's international governing body FINA had agreed to postpone it to give Park more time to prepare.

A KSF official, who did not wish to be named, told Reuters by telephone on Friday that FINA had notified the federation that the hearing had been rescheduled for March 23.

The official added that four KSF officials, including the federation president, would travel to Switzerland for the hearing.

Despite some media reports, the official added that Park had yet to return to training.

Park, a two-time world champion known as "Marine Boy" in South Korea, had been left "shocked" by the positive test, which local media said had been a result of a local hospital giving him an injection that contained testosterone.

Seoul prosecutors have charged a doctor with professional negligence, according to Yonhap news agency.

Testosterone is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's list of banned substances and Park could face a lengthy ban that would prevent him from competing at the Rio Olympics next year.