The company confirmed to Norway's TV2 that they were dropping the sponsorship agreement with the 28-year-old as a result of her suspension, which came after she tested positive for anabolic steroid clostebol.

They said, however, that they would not rule out working with Johaug again in the future once she has served her doping ban.

"The agreement is cancelled now," a spokesperson for the company wrote in an email.

"The future is not clear."

The move was widely expected due to a clause Fischer, one of the world's leading suppliers of skiing equipment, inserts into all sponsorship contracts.

It still represents a blow to Johaug as her deal is reported to be worth millions per year.

Jørn Ernst, Johaug's coach, told Norwegian newspaper VG the contract with Fischer was "very important" to the skier, who was a member of the 4x5 kilometres relay team which won the Olympic gold medal at Vancouver 2010.

"We got early signals from Fischer that this could happen, so it's not really surprising," Ernst added. 

"They do this in all such matters."

The Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports' (NIF) Adjudication Committee confirmed on Friday (February 10) Johaug's suspension will be backdated to October 2016, meaning she will be able compete at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang.

Their verdict was received by Anti-Doping Norway's Prosecution Committee, who had originally called for the 28-year-old to be banned for 14 months. 

Johaug tested positive for the substance in September but claimed to have used it inadvertently via a sun cream that was wrongly given to her by a team doctor.

A provisional suspension which was originally due to expire on December 18 was extended to February 19 of this year meaning Johaug - the reigning World Cup champion - has not competed this season.

She will be able to return to competition in November 2017, around the same time as the start of the season.

Johaug, a seven-time world champion, is a big star in Norway and has previously said that she finds it "very strange" that people do not believe her reasoning for the failed test.

Anti-Doping Norway claim she should be blamed for "not having undertaken further investigation of the drug she received and used", which reportedly came in a package marked with the word "doping".

However, the skier, who said she used the sun cream to treat cracked lips, insisted her doctor had given her the all-clear to use the substance.