"The IAAF [International Association of Athletics Federations] had informed us that Nevin Yanıt's sample taken at the PSD Bank event in Düsseldorf on February 8 tested positive for a banned substance," read a statement published on the national governing body website today.

"After her B sample also tested positive, the Disciplinary Board asked for Yanıt's defence and decided to ban the athlete for two years following deliberations."

The ruling comes just weeks after 31 Turkish athletes, including Athens 2004 silver medal winning hammer thrower Eşref Apak, were banned for doping violations.

Meanwhile, Olympic 1,500m champion Aslı Çakır Alptekin, who already served a two-year doping ban received in 2004, was provisionally suspended in May following abnormalities in her biological passport.

Her case is still pending review.

Aslı Çakır Alptekin faces being stripped of her Olympic 1,500 metres gold medal and banned for life

Yanıt's ban also comes at a critical time for Istanbul's bid for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) preparing to vote for the host city of the Games on September 7.

However, Turkish Olympic Committee President Uğur Erdener today claimed the spate of doping bans should be viewed as a signal of how seriously the country is taking doping and that its approach "may yet yield more positive tests and more sanctions".

"Today's news demonstrates that the new, more aggressive anti-doping policies being implemented by our National Federations and the Turkish Anti-Doping Agency (TADA), actively supported by the NOC and the Turkish Government, are rooting out drugs in Turkish sport," he said.

"While any evidence of cheating is a major disappointment for any country, the Turkish NOC nevertheless welcomes the action taken by the Turkish Athletics Federation today.

"The top-down approach is sending a clear message to cheats and would-be cheats in Turkey: you have nowhere left to hide.

"Turkey's rigorous programme of testing and sanctions will be intensified further when the WADA-accredited anti-doping laboratory opens in Ankara later this year."

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