D'Arcy to try for Olympics

Sydney - Australia's leading butterfly swimmer Nick D'Arcy was cleared on Tuesday to try out for this year's London Olympics after officials declared the controversial swimmer eligible for selection.

The Australian Olympic Committee ended speculation over D'Arcy's availability for London, announcing he would be allowed on to the team should he qualify at next month's trials in Adelaide.

It came after Swimming Australia informed Olympic officials it had decided not to remove D'Arcy from a shadow selection squad, picked prior to the swimmer reportedly filing for bankruptcy in December.

By doing so, the bankruptcy application would allow 24-year-old D'Arcy to avoid paying a damages bill of Aus$180 000 ($184 000) for assaulting fellow swimmer Simon Cowley, reports said.

D'Arcy was kicked out of the Australian team for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 after he assaulted Cowley in a Sydney bar on the night he was selected for the Games.

A court subsequently awarded the damages to Cowley, who needed corrective surgery to his face to repair fractures including the insertion of titanium plates, and who quit his job with a financial firm after the incident.

The Olympic trials take place from March 15 to 22.