Until now however, there have been less recent failed tests among Winter athletes so Olovskaya's result appears a major blow for Russian officials.

The teenager was last year's national champion in slopestyle and ski halfpipe, two events making their Olympic debut at Sochi 2014, and finished ninth in a World Cup slopestyle event in March and 13th in the same discipline at the World Junior Championships.

She did not compete in the opening two World Cup events in New Zealand and Canada, and it has now been revealed that she has been banned since November 19.

In a statement announcing the ban, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency did not specify the nature of Orlovskaya's offense, only that it was "a breach of anti-doping rules".

Biathlete Dmitri Yaroshenko is another prominent Russian Winter athlete to have tested positive, a two-time World Championship titles before being banned in 2009
©Bongarts/Getty Images


There has been suspicion over Russian Winter athletes ever since Sochi was awarded the Games in 2007, especially after a number of biathletes  tested positive.

They were led by double world champin Dmitri Yaroshenko and also included five-time Olympic medalist, and Turin 2006 gold medallist Albina Akhatova, as well as Ekaterina Lourieva, the 2008 world champion.

Speaking last month, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach warned that "a positive drugs test would overshadow the achievement of any team at Sochi 2014".

He also promised that the anti-doping programme at Sochi 2014 will be the toughest for any Olympics with 57 per cent more tests due to be conducted than Vancouver 2010.