In Rio, Phelps dismisses return to the pool in 2016 Games but jokes he may be back as a golfer
RIO DE JANEIRO - Michael Phelps says the only chance he'll be competing again at the 2016 Olympics is if he finds a way to succeed in golf.
Phelps joked Tuesday during a visit to Rio de Janeiro that even though his mom, Debbie Phelps, wants him to be swimming for medals again in 2016, he'll only make it to the games if "somehow" he becomes "an amazing golfer." That, he added, was "very unlikely" to happen "over the next three years."
He said, "I have already told her I will not be competing, so do not get her hopes up."
Golf will be returning to the Olympics in Rio after an absence of more than 100 years.
During his promotional trip, Phelps visited a pacified shantytown and gave swimming lessons to local kids at a public training centre.
