Michael Phelps 2016 Olympics? Retired Swimmer Says he Will NOT be Returning to Pool after Receiving Achievement Award in Rio, Lochte thinks Otherwise

Michael Phelps will attend the 2016 Olympics in Brazil...as a spectator only!

The gold-medalist and retired swimmer was in Rio, the location of the next summer Olympics, last week accepting the Exceptional Achievement Award at the Laureus Sports Awards, reports UPI. Upon receiving the award honoring his feat of winning a record 22 Olympic medals, (the most of any athlete in any sport) Phelps reiterated that his swimming career was over and claimed he would not be returning to the pool for the 2016 Olympics.

"It has been an amazing career and it is crazy to think that it is over," Phelps said, while accepting his award. "But I've done everything that I wanted to do in sport."

Michael Phelps retired promptly after winning a few more gold medals at the 2012 Olympics. The American swimmer, who is now the most decorated athlete in Olympic history according to the Inquisitr, has repeatedly said that he would not be competing in any future Olympics, but fellow Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte thinks otherwise.

"Michael Phelps says he's retired. The sport will miss him, he is one of my favorite rivals and I will miss him. But I think he will come back," Lochte said at the World Short Course Championships in Istanbul, according to the Daily Telegraph on Monday.

"When you do something for so long every day ... he's still young. I think he will be back for Rio," Lochte said. "We'll see, he'll miss the sport."

Phelps may apparently be done competing, but that doesn't mean that he's done with the sport altogether, states the Inquisitr. While in Rio, the champ gave a swimming clinic to some young athletes at the Rocinha Sports Center.

"I wanted to change swimming and take it to a level, and I have. But I will continue to be a part of sport and help grow sports. That is a goal and a passion of mine," Phelps stated.

He also reportedly told a group of kids at the pool that he was "absolutely retired and had no plans of making a comeback" according to UPI.

"I am having fun," Phelps said during the event. "I love being retired, I can't stress it enough. I am happy, smiling, and more relaxed. It's something that I have wanted for a long time and now I'm happy that I can make the most of it."

If younger teammate Lochte's prediction is correct and Phelps does indeed return to the 2016 Olympics to compete, he will be 31 and most likely still  capable of adding some more medals to his golden collection. We'll just have to wait and see if the "retired" swimmer makes another comeback in 2016 or hangs up his goggles for good...