The Spanish Olympic Committee (COE) confirmed having received "information from the ITA which includes an abnormal result concerning a Spanish athlete", without disclosing the identity of the latter.
The COE adds in a press release that it is awaiting the results of a second opinion "which any athlete is entitled to request".
According to the ITA, "the sample taken from the Spanish skater Laura Barquero Jiménez gave an unfavorable analysis result".
The test would have shown the presence of closetebol.
According to the Spanish press, clostebol is an anabolic steroid banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
It would be present in particular in healing creams or against skin conditions.
The sample was taken on February 18 during the short pair skating program and the result of the analysis communicated on February 21 by the WADA-accredited laboratory in Beijing.
The athlete can now request a counter-analysis from the B sample taken during the same test.
If the positive result is confirmed, a sanction process will be initiated.
Barquero, 20, and Marco Zandron had managed to qualify for the final in pair skating, after becoming the first Spaniards to compete in the Olympics in this discipline.
This doping case comes as the Beijing Games were rocked by the Kamila Valieva affair, named after the young Russian figure skater who was allowed to compete despite the announcement of the positive result of a doping control carried out before the Games.
© 2022 AFP