German cross-country skier Viktoria Karl has tested positive for a banned substance, reports the DPA agency, quoted by FOKUS.
She is the Olympic champion in the team sprint at the 2022 Beijing Games.
However, the German Ski Federation (DSF) explained that she took the stimulant on the prescription of the team's chief doctor after the end of the season to treat bronchitis.
"I was sick. I had a bad cough and took the medicine on the doctor's orders. Everything is described. I didn't know that it contained a banned stimulant. I hope I will be understood and treated fairly," Karl said, quoted by the DSH and DPA.
The national team's medical staff said that the athlete was not to blame and had taken the medication as prescribed. The head doctor did not mention the presence of clenbuterol.
"From a medical point of view, it is understandable why he prescribed this medication, but it is a mistake on a purely organizational level. The athlete is not to blame and acted on the prescription of a specialist," said the team's head doctor.