Скачать или смотреть Olympic great Phelps says 3-month suspension fair; training; reax

(6 Feb 2009) Olympic gold medallist Michael Phelps said on Friday that it was fair for USA Swimming to suspend him for three months, following the release of a photo showing him inhaling from a marijuana pipe during a house party at the University of South Carolina.
The winner of eight gold medals in Beijing was back training at his regular pool in Baltimore, Maryland on Friday, a day after his suspension.
Phelps said that the decision USA Swimming was fair as he had made a mistake and obviously should be punished.
The 23-year-old returned to the US from Beijing as one of the world's most acclaimed athletes.
However recently he has made headlines of a different kind, after a photo of him inhaling from a marijuana pipe was published on Sunday by News of the World, a British tabloid.
Phelps said it was a stupid mistake and one he will live with for the rest of his life but he has taken heart from the support of people around him.
"I've had a lot of support from my sponsors, a lot of support from friends and family and that's what means the most. Those are the people that are going to help you through times like these," he told the media at the pool side of the Meadowbrook Aquatic Centre, where he has trained since he was seven.
And what about his mother, Debbie Phelps?
"Mom wasn't happy," Phelps said. "She's been supportive through it, but wasn't happy."
The latest fallout has been much greater than in 2004, when an underage Phelps was arrested for drunken driving three months after the Athens Olympics.
He pleaded guilty and apologised to his supporters, saying he wouldn't make the same mistake again.
Phelps wasn't sure how the negative publicity might influence his decision to compete in the 2012 London Olympics.
His coach, Bob Bowman, said the suspension will alter his plans for Phelps, who recently resumed serious training with the goal of qualifying for this summer's world championships in Rome.
With the three-month suspension he won't be able to take on any rivals until early May, which would give him a little more than two months of competition before July's world championships in Rome.
The US team for Rome will be chosen at the national championships July 7-11 in Indianapolis.
USA Swimming's decision to suspend Phelps didn't surprise Bowman.
The photo also cost Phelps a sponsor, cereal giant Kellogg Co.
The company, which put Phelps' picture on several brands of its cereal, said on Thursday it would not renew the deal that expires later this month.
Still, Phelps was thankful for those who have supported him.
Some residents in Washington said that while Phelps had made a mistake, they thought the suspension of three months was a little harsh.

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