North Korean medallist fails dope test
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Kicked out: Kim Jong-su with his 10m air pistol bronze medal (AFP: Issouf Sanogo)
A North Korean bronze and silver medallist has been disqualified from the Olympic Games after testing positive for a banned substance.
Kim Jong-su won silver in the 50 metres pistol and bronze in the 10 metres air pistol events in early medal wins for the reclusive country.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) says Kim tested positive for the beta blocker propanalol.
It says he will stripped of his medals and kicked out of the Beijing Games.
The head of the IOC's Medical Commission, Dr Arne Ljungqvist, says it is unlikely that there is an innocent explanation for the positive test.
"I cannot interpret the finding in any other way than this is (a) deliberate intake, because it's (a substance) of importance in that particular sport," he said.
Dr Ljungqvist says he is encouraged that there have been only three positive tests so far during the Games.
"It's encouraging," he said. "It shows that hopefully the athletes who are here competing are clean."
Beta blockers are sometimes used by competitive shooters because they slow the heart rate and reduce hand tremors.
Vietnamese gymnast Thi Ngan Thuong Do has also lost her accreditation after testing positive for a prohibited substance.
Dr Ljungqvist says it is likely that the 19-year-old's positive test for the substance Furosemide was an accidental result from poor advice on allowance medicines.
