Thorpe, with five gold medals and nine medals total, is facing a serious, but not life-threatening condition. The Sydney Morning Herald reports "the infection contracted by Thorpe is similar in nature to the potentially deadly Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) superbug that has swept some hospitals in Europe."
"He's quite sick but that's the situation. From a competitive point of view - he will not be swimming competitively again, I don't think," manager James Erskine told the Australian Associated Press.
Thorpe, 31, has reportedly undergone "two or three" operations and that the injury, not the infection, would be what ended his swimming career.
Erskine disputed reports that Thorpe would lose his arm.
