Aus legend Thorpe to announce 'swimming future'

Manager David Flaskas said Thorpe, who retired in 2006 citing waning motivation, would address the media in Sydney tomorrow "about his swimming future".

"He'll let everyone know tomorrow," Flaskas told AFP, refusing to be drawn on whether it was about a return to the sport. Come along to the press conference and Ian can say what he wants to say."

Media speculation of a comeback has been rife since Thorpe, 28, resumed swimming in recent months to recuperate from a shoulder injury.

He must be reinstated on the international drug testing register at least nine months before competing, meaning any decision on contesting in London would need to be taken soon.

Five-time Olympic champion Thorpe won 11 world titles and set 13 long-course records before announcing his retirement in November 2006, saying he had lost the desire to compete.

He was just 24.

Nicknamed the "Thorpedo", the masterful freestyler became one of the world's best-known swimmers, constantly raising the bar through his sublime technique and awesome power.

Australia's most decorated Olympian, Thorpe was dogged by doping allegations after a French newspaper published claims following his retirement that he had tested positive for testosterone and another performance-enhancing hormone.

He was subsequently cleared by Australian authorities and world swimming body FINA, but said he feared he would never be able to fully restore his reputation.

Thorpe bowed out of the sport after a lengthy battle with illness and injury and has made no secret of his disappointment that his career ended on such a low note.

Once the centre of sponsorship deals worth millions, he has also struggled financially since retirement, according to local media, with the global financial crisis eroding his investments and businesses.

Thorpe's 400m freestyle world record, set at the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games, is still just 1/100th of a second behind the current record, which was achieved with a banned bodysuit at the 2009 world championships in Rome.

Australia head coach Leigh Nugent said getting Thorpe up to scratch for his pet 400m event in time for London "would be a big ask, but I wouldn't say he couldn't do it."

"You would think he would be able to become competitive again in the 200m, although he would have to approach it differently from the way he did in the past," Nugent said.

"If he's going to have a crack he's going to have to do it quickly."

Thorpe would have to get on the drug testing register by the end of May in order to be eligible for the 2012 London Olympic trials in March, and Flaskas said there was overwhelming public support for a comeback.