Swimming great Ian Thorpe will pursue legal action against a French newspaper that he alleges tarnished his reputation by publishing reports he returned samples with ''abnormal levels'' of two banned substances.
A report by journalist Damien Ressiot published in the French daily sports newspaper L'Equipe in March last year said Thorpe had given a urine sample in May 2006 that showed abnormal levels of testosterone and a luteinising hormone.
Both products are on the list of banned substances.
The 25-year-old Olympic champion has also decided to include a claim for the infringement of privacy in the proceedings, according to his lawyer.
The NSW Supreme Court in Sydney yesterday stood over directions on the case until September 22 to enable the proceedings to be served and Thorpe's claim to be amended.
The case will probably start some time next year.
The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority, which investigated the claims after the report in L'Equipe, said last August that it had found the substance levels to be naturally occurring. It dismissed the case.
FINA, the governing body of world swimming, made a similar finding. Lawyer Tony O'Reilly said Thorpe wanted to repair the damage done to his reputation by the newspaper's claims.
But neither Thorpe, who was not in court, nor his lawyer offered further comment on yesterday's proceedings. Thorpe has previously said his reputation would forever be tarnished by the published allegations.
Having won five Olympic gold medals, Thorpe is one of Australia's most successful Olympians. He also won 11 world championship golds, the second-highest number of any swimmer. Thorpe is also the ambassador of Fountain for Youth, an organisation that seeks to improve health and education prospects for children who are ill.
His achievements, charity work and clean image earned him the title Young Australian of the Year in 2000.
Thorpe announced his shock retirement in November 2006, but has kept busy with global travel and is in talks with Foxtel about fronting a number of lifestyle programs.
He also plans to appear in 2009's Australia's Next Top Model final after impressing in the most recent series.
Thorpe will spend two weeks at the Beijing Games, where he will attend some events as part of his sponsorship duties and others as a spectator. AAP