Thorpe may never swim again as he faces danger of losing 'infected' arm post surgery

Australian swimming legend Ian Thorpe may reportedly never swim competitively again as he faces losing the use of his left arm after contracting two 'dangerous' infections following a series of surgeries on his shoulder in Switzerland.

The five-time Olympic medallist, who attended Prince William's wedding, attempted a comeback for the London Olympics even though he has not competed at an Olympic Games since Beijing in 2008.

According to News.com.au, Thorpe's manager James Erskine has said that although Thorpe is not in intensive care, he is very sick as there have been some very serious consequences of these infections and may never swim again competitively, although he added that the former swimmer is in relatively good spirits.

However, the manager said that infections are not life-threatening and also rubbished reports that Thorpe may lose the use of his arm because of the infections, adding that his shoulder operations was a major success.

The report mentioned that 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.