Australian swimmer Nick D'Arcy is facing expulsion from the Olympic team for Beijing.

He has been arrested and charged with assault on former Commonwealth Games champion Simon Cowley.

D'Arcy was among a group of Australian swimmers who were at a nightclub celebrating their selection in the Olympic team for Beijing after the completion of the national trials.

Cowley was punched in the face, suffering serious injuries including a broken jaw, broken nose, fractured eyesocket, crushed cheekbone and fractured palate.

"The doctors were amazed what one punch could do," said Crowley's father Peter.

D'Arcy had qualified for his first Olympics in 100 and 200 metres butterfly, but it is now thought his Olympic place could be in jeopardy.

He appeared at a Sydney police station and police later released a statement saying they had laid assault charges, but did not name D'Arcy.

Swimming Australia and the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) had confirmed that they were carrying out their own investigation and were considering whether to charge D'Arcy with bringing the sport into disrepute and ban him from the Olympics.

"Swimming Australia is aware that swimmer Nick D'Arcy was involved in an incident in a Sydney nightclub early on Sunday morning that is now the subject of a NSW Police investigation," Swimming Australia said a statement.

"Swimming Australia will consider disciplinary action upon completion of the police investigation and its own internal inquiries," it added.

The incident has received huge media coverage in Australia after eight world records were set during last week's national trials, raising expectations of a golden haul in Beijing.

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