The Bulgarian had been offered the role of technical operations manager for weightlifting during the Games despite testing positive for anabolic steroids.

The 42-year-old, who now lives in Australia, had been due to start his new job next Monday (September 20) but has now had the offer withdrawn.

A statement from London 2012 said: "LOCOG made a job offer to Sevdalin Marinov for the position of Technical Operations Manager for the weightlifting competition.

"When the offer came to the attention of LOCOG's senior management, including the chief executive, we decided that this was not an appropriate appointment to make, given the role he will have within the sport competition.

"We have today withdrawn the offer of employment to Mr Marinov, and we apologise for any inconvenience caused."

A world champion in the 52-kilogram class between 1985 and 1987 and a gold medal winner at the Seoul Olympics in 1988, Marinov migrated to Australia in 1991 and won gold for his adopted country in the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria.

But three years later Marinov, who was formerly married to the daughter of Sam Coffa, the vice-president of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), tested positive to steroids and was banned from competition for two years.

He returned to coaching Australia's junior team but Matthew Curtain, the London 2012 weightlifting manager, was the chief executive of the Australian Weightlifting Federation when Marinov was investigated by the Victorian Police and the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) following a drugs raid at his premises in 2003.

During the raid they discovered stanozolol  that belonged to his house-mate Keith Murphy, who pleaded guilty to trafficking and possession of the substances found at the house and received a suspended two-year jail sentence

On a return raid they  three boxes of steroids and testosterone on the top shelf of a wardrobe in the bedroom used by Marinov, who was abroad at the time.

He was never charged by the authorities but was banned for life by ASADA only to successfully appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), claiming that he could not be held responsible for Murphy's activities, a defence upheld by three arbitrators sitting in Melbourne.

Marinov had struggled to find many roles in the sport since, however, until he was employed by London 2012.

The whole affair is a huge embarrassment for London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe, a pioneer in the fight against doping, especially as details of Marinov's past can be easily found by entering his name into Google.

Coe - who is in Australia at the moment - was not aware of the details of the appointment and is understood to be upset by the scandal.

He has continued to adopt a hardline stance to drugs cheats and was an influential voice in having an invitation to Linford Christie, Britain's disgraced 1992 Olympic 100 metres champion, who served a two years for testing positive for anabolic steroids, to carry the Olympic torch when it passed through London in 2008 withdrawn.

Coe has also been among the most outspoken critics of another banned sprinter, Dwain Chambers, who has tried to rehabilitate his career since returning to the sport in 2006.  

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