Dutch sprinter Brian Mariano has been suspended following a positive drugs test ©Getty Images

Brian Mariano, a member of The Netherlands' 4x100 metres relay team that won the gold medal at the 2012 European Championships in Helsinki, has been suspended after failing a drugs test.

It has not been announced what substance he tested positive for. 

The 31-year-old failed the test during an event in Mondeville in France on February 6.

He is currently waiting for the result of the B-sample.

If it confirms the result of the first test, Mariano will face a disciplinary hearing and could be banned for up to four years. 

Brian Mariano, far left, was part of the Dutch 4x100m relay team that won the gold medal at the 2012 European Championships in Helsinki ©Getty Images
Brian Mariano, far left, was part of the Dutch 4x100m relay team that won the gold medal at the 2012 European Championships in Helsinki ©Getty Images

Mariano is from Curaçao and competed for the Netherlands Antilles until it was dissolved in 2010 and became a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

His personal bests for the 100 metres is 10.23sec and for 60m it is 6.60, making him the joint Dutch record holder. 

Mariano was also part of the Dutch 4x100m relay team that finished sixth at the 2012 Olympics in London. 

He has claimed he did not take the drug deliberately and speculated that he may have ingested it in a supplement.