PYEONGCHANG, South Korea – The first positive
doping test of the
Winter Olympics was reported in the early hours of Tuesday morning, with
Japanese short-track speedskater
Kei Saito named as the culprit.
Japanese agency Kyodo News revealed that Saito, who is yet to compete at Pyeongchang, had tested positive for an unnamed banned substance and would be excluded from the short-track program.
The Japanese Olympic Committee was planning to host a news conference to announce Saito’s positive test on Tuesday morning, according to the agency.
The revelation will be a major embarrassment to Japanese sports, which has long prided itself on its clean image and will be hosting the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
The positive test recorded by Saito, 21, is the first ever by a Japanese athlete at the Winter Olympics. Saito was a reserve on Japan’s 5,000-meter men’s relay team, which is due to be in action during Tuesday's short-track session at Gangneung Ice Arena.
His sister, Hitomi Saito, is also on the Japanese short-track team.