The International Olympic Committee have stated that they are not willing to comment on the news that a German athlete has tested positive for a banned substance.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams told The AP: "I won't comment on whether a process is even underway."

Meanwhile, Stefan Schwarzbach, the German team spokesman for cross country and biathlon, also revealed that at this stage he cannot comment any further on the early details.

"All I can say is, we have a positive 'A' sample," he said. "But as long as we don't have a positive 'B' sample, we are not allowed to talk about that."

Germany have so far won 16 medals at the Sochi Games.