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File footage of Australian Olympic swimming icon Ian Thorpe, after he is reportedly admitted to a rehabilitation facility in Sydney for depression and alcohol abuse on Thursday.

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Ian Thorpe, who won five gold medals for Australia at the Olympic Games from 2000 to 2004, has been reportedly admitted to a rehabilitation facility in Sydney for depression and alcohol abuse.

Thorpe retired from swimming in 2006 after skipping the Commonwealth Games of that year in Melbourne but attempted a return to competitive swimming in 2011, with a view to qualifying for the London Olympics the year after.

He swam short-course events in Singapore and Beijing to regain fitness but failed to make the finals at the Australian Olympic trials, thus ending his comeback.

In recent months he has attended Melbourne Victory soccer training sessions and was spotted in the crowd at the tennis Australian Open.

According to Australian media reports, Thorpe suffered a fall at home before being admitted to hospital on the 29th of January.