Inderjeet Singh has confirmed he has failed a drug test ©Getty Images

Asian Athletics Championships gold medallist Inderjeet Singh has confirmed he has tested positive for a banned substance.

The 28-year-old shot putter was informed of the test result by the Indian National Anti-Doping Agency, with a banned steroid having reportedly been detected in an out-of-competition control on June 22.

Singh had been preparing to compete at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games but his hopes of participating in Brazil are now in doubt, with the Indian hoping his B-Sample comes back negative.

He has been a regular medallist for India at continental level, having thrown a distance of 20.41 metres to win at the Asian Athletics Championships in Wuhan last year.

His effort followed another gold at the Summer Universiade in Gwangju, while he claimed a bronze medal at the 2014 Asian Games in South Korea.

The shot putter has protested his innocence in an interview with the Press Trust of India, where he claimed his supplements and water were sabotaged.

"This is a conspiracy and there is something wrong in it," Singh said.

“This will be checked by the doctors though.

“I don't want to comment on it but whoever has tried to raise their voice in this country, they are forced to shut up.

"My sample has been tampered with.

“Why would a player take something which is not good for his health?”

Inderjeet Singh (right) has claimed his sample has been tampered with after failing the test ©Getty Images
Inderjeet Singh (right) has claimed his sample has been tampered with after failing the test ©Getty Images

The case is the second to involve an Indian Rio 2016 hopeful in the last week, with World Championship bronze medal winning wrestler Narsingh Yadav having allegedly failed for anabolic steroid methandienone.

The 26-year-old, who won 74 kilograms gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games on home soil in New Delhi, returned the positive result following a test on July 5.

There will now be a hearing which is set to be expedited due to the timing of the case, coming so close to the Olympics.

Yadav could then be stripped of his place in the team.

The saga is embarrassing for India as Yadav was involved in a protracted Rio 2016 selection row with double Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar.

Kumar, winner of a bronze medal at 66kg at Beijing 2008 and silver in London four years later, had demanded the two wrestlers have a play-off to decide who goes to Rio 2016.

That was despite Yadav qualifying by virtue of his third-place finish at last year’s World Championships in Las Vegas.

Kumar took his case to the Delhi High Court, who ruled in favour of Yadav, ending his chances of representing his country at the Games.