Swimming: Most successful Olympic athlete Michael Phelps banned for six months
Last Updated: 07/10/14 4:45pm
Michael Phelps, the most successful Olympic athlete in history with 18 gold medals, has been banned for six months and dropped from the 2015 world championships by USA Swimming after being arrested last week for drink driving.
The punishments came six days after Phelps was apprehended by police in his hometown of Baltimore and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, excessive speed and crossing the centre line while driving inside a tunnel.
Phelps, 29, will not be able to represent the United States at the 2015 FINA World Swimming Championships in Russia in August and will also have his funding withdrawn for the length of his ban.
"Membership in USA Swimming, and particularly at the national team level, includes a clear obligation to adhere to our code of conduct," executive director Chuck Wielgus said in a statement.
"Should an infraction occur, it is our responsibility to take appropriate action based on the individual case. Michael's conduct was serious and required significant consequences
"Michael has publicly acknowledged the impact of his decisions, his accountability especially due to his stature in the sport and the steps necessary for self-improvement.
"We endorse and are here to fully support his personal development actions."
Ahead of the announcement, Phelps had revealed on social media that he would be taking a break from the sport and attend a rehabilitation course.
"The past few days have been extremely difficult," he wrote on both his Facebook and Twitter accounts nearly 10 years after his first infraction for the same drink-driving offence.
"I recognize that this is not my first lapse in judgement, and I am extremely disappointed with myself. I'm going to take some time away to attend a program that will provide the help I need to better understand myself.
"Swimming is a major part of my life, but right now I need to focus my attention on me as an individual, and do the necessary work to learn from this experience and make better decisions in the future."
Phelps first came to prominence after winning six golds at the 2004 Olympics in Athens before setting a record for the number of gold medals at a Games by topping the podium eight times in Beijing four years later.
Four more golds at London 2012 followed and although he announced his intentions to never compete again, he returned to the pool earlier this year and had been seeking to add to his medal haul at the Rio Games in 2016.
