It has been confirmed that the distance runner Cathal Lombard, a 28-year-old solicitor from Cork, has been banned from athletics for two years.
The Irish Sport Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel has announced that after Mr Lombard's admission that he had knowingly taken the performance enhancing drug EPO, the ban would be imposed under Articles 2.1 and 2.2 of the Irish Anti-Doping Rules.
Greek athletes before IOC on Monday
Meanwhile, Greek Olympic sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou, who had been summoned to appear before an IOC drug panel today, have been granted a three-day delay.
The Disciplinary Commission has postponed the hearing until next Monday in order, it said, to ensure a fair process and give due consideration to the athletes.
The Greek team had asked for a 48-hour extension for their top two athletes to account for missing a drugs test.
Mr Kenteris and his training partner Ms Thanou, who were injured in an overnight motorcycle accident, failed to appear at an IOC drug tribunal this morning.
The two had missed mandatory doping tests at the Olympic Village yesterday.
The two sprinters were both medal winners at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, and are national heroes in Greece. They became unavailable for testing when Greek officials allowed them to leave the Olympic Village to collect belongings from their homes.
The two were then slightly injured in a road accident and spent the night in hospital.
