Taiwanese baseball Olympian fails drug test

TAIPEI, Taiwan _ A senior Taiwanese baseball official says one of the island's players has been banned from participating in the team's first game of the Olympic tournament after failing a drug test.

Taiwan Baseball Association secretary-general Lin Tsung-cheng says third baseman Chang Tai-shan did not suit up for Wednesday's opener against the Netherlands after the International Olympic Committee informed the association of the test results.

Lin, who did not name the drug involved, says a further test will be carried out and if it is positive, Chang will be banned from the rest of the Olympic baseball tournament.

Taiwan is one of eight baseball teams participating in this year's summer games. The sport is widely popular on the island and millions of fans follow the team's fortunes.