"Queen Breaststroke" Luo Xuejuan of China.[phoenixtv.com]

"Luo will be out of the 2006 Doha Asian Games," the China Daily quoted swimming team deputy head Shang Xiutang as saying.

The Athens Olympic 100-metre breaststroke gold medallist and twice world champion was recovering from "health problems" and would focus on preparing for the 2008 Olympics, Shang said.

In the Asian Games trials earlier this month, Luo finished second in the 100m breaststroke to rising star Luo Nan in a time of one minute and 9.14 seconds, well short of the 1:06.64 she clocked when winning the Olympic gold medal in Athens in 2004. But according to qualifying rules, the second-place finish should have been enough to get her to the December event in Doha.

Luo, 22, has been in hot water since she was ejected from national team training and told to return to her Zhejiang provincial team in July, with speculation of trouble over sponsorship money, a boyfriend, or over a refusal to train.