The news comes as a bitter double-blow after a Games that until today had been notable for the lack of positive drugs results.

Both athletes have tested positive for dimethylamylamine, which is also known as methylhexanamine, and both are blaming contaminated food supplements for the results.

Following the announcement earlier today that an unnamed member of the German had recorded an "abnormal" result, it was reported in Germany and on insidethegames that the athlete was Sachenbacher-Stehle and this was confirmed by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) this evening.

The 33-year-old from Traunstein, winner of gold medals at Salt Lake City 2002 and Vancouver 2010 in cross country skiing, previously served a five-day "health" suspension at the beginning of the 2006 Games due to a high haemoglobin level.

Sachenbacher-Stehl, who had switched to biathlon from cross country two years ago, has been expelled from the German team and will be sent home as soon as possible.

Former decathlete William Frullani has also been sent home after a positive test
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Frullani meanwhile is a former decathlete who was due to compete for Italy in the four-man bobsleigh competition which begins tomorrow.

In a statement this evening, Italy's governing body CONI says it was informed by the International Olympic Committee that Frullani tested positive in a test taken in the Olympic Village on February 18.

CONI says Frullani asked his B sample to be analysed and that it "confirmed the positive result, resulting in his exclusion from the Italian delegation."

He will be replaced in the four-man bobsled team by Samuele Romanini.

Frullani is blaming the positive test on a contaminated food supplement and reportedly told Italian officials that he had brought the product from a website based in the United States.

Sachenbacher-Stehle meanwhile, said through her management that she was experiencing the "worst nightmare you can imagine" because she "cannot at all explain how the positive test has come about."

She claimed that she had all her supplements checked before the Games and there was nothing illegal in any of them, before adding: "I can only expressly assure everyone concerned that I at no time consciously took forbidden substances and I will be doing everything to have this cleared up completely."

In the biggest case in the build-up to the Games, another biathlete in Irina Starych was removed from the Russian team after her positive test was confirmed two weeks before the Games ©AFPGetty Images