Ian Thorpe Sues French Newspaper Over Drug Claim

OLYMPIC champion Ian Thorpe has launched defamation action against a French newspaper which aired claims of an irregular drug test.

The allegations appeared in March last year in an online edition of the French newspaper L'Equipe.

The report, based on leaked information, claimed a dope test in 2006 revealed abnormally high readings for testosterone and a hormone in Thorpe's system.

Thorpe expressed his shock at the time, saying he had never cheated and always complied with my obligations to the anti-doping code to the letter.

"My reputation as a fair competitor is the most valuable thing I take out of my time in swimming," the retired champion told the media last April.(keep reading)