The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Saturday confirmed a Greek athlete had failed drug tests days before the Olympic Games and may face exclusion from the Games.

Giselle Davies, IOC director of Communications, said they were informed of the incident but it was not an IOC test.

"There has been a case of doping violation found by the Greek doping authorities. It is within the Games period, but it is not IOC test," she said on the second day of the Games which opened on Friday with a dazzling ceremony in the National Stadium, better known as "Bird's Nest".

"The athlete will not be coming here for the Olympics as a result of this finding," she said.

The IOC will?conduct no less than 4,500 doping tests within the Olympic venues including the Olympic Village, the competition and training facilities. The international sports federations and national Olympic committees will carry out dope tests outside the venues.

Davies celebrated the case as a victory of the cooperation between different organizations.

"It is something that demonstrated the celebrative efforts that have been made among different organizations to do drug testing, the IOC, the world anti-doping agencies and the national authorities and so forth."

She did not reveal the name of the athlete but it was reported that men's 200 meters runner Tassos Gousis was the offender.

Davies said the IOC executive board will make the decision later.

Eleven members of the Greek national team tested positive in March for the anabolic steroid methyltrienolone and banned for two years before another one was caught in July. Swimmer Yiannis Drymonakos and rower Yiannis Tsamis also were forced out of the Olympic team for doping offences.

(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2008)