Swimming-South Korea's Park training in Japan

SEOUL, Sept 22 (Reuters) - South Korean Olympic swimming champion Park Tae-hwan, who is currently serving a doping suspension, will continue his training in Japan and remain there until December, his management company said on Tuesday. Park, who won 400 metres freestyle gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and is one of the country's most popular athletes, tested positive for testosterone ahead of the Incheon Asian Games last September. The 25-year-old attributed the failed test to an injection he received at a local clinic where he said he was being treated for a skin complaint and where he also had some vitamin shots and chiropractic treatment. Park received an 18-month doping ban from swimming's world governing body FINA, leaving his chances of competing at next year's Rio Olympics hanging by a thread. The doctor who administered the injections has pleaded not guilty to charges of professional negligence during the ongoing trial. "Park left for Tokyo yesterday (Monday) afternoon with his manager and fitness trainer," Yonhap news quoted Park's Team GMP as saying in a statement. Park would begin training at Hosei University in Tokyo on Thursday and remain in Japan until December, GMP added. Park's ban means he is not allowed to train at facilities operated by the government or the Korea Swimming Federation. He had previously been training at a public pool in Seoul. (Writing by Peter Rutherford; Reporting by Kim Hooyeon; Editing by John O'Brien)