4 athletes pulled from Pan Am competition after positive drug tests

TORONTO – The Pan American Sports Association says four athletes have been pulled from the international competition after positive drug tests.

The association says three of the athletes – Cinthya Vanessa Dominguez Lara of Mexico, Nelson Gomez of Puerto Rico and Javier Jesus Ortiz Angulo of Colombia – tested positive for anabolic steroids.

It says the fourth, Mario Mercedes Castillo of the Dominican Republic, tested positive for a banned stimulant.

Eduardo De Rose, chairman of the organization’s medical commission, says every major sporting event has a number of anti-doping violations, but it’s surprising to see this many cases so early in the Games.

Dominguez Lara is a weightlifter and the other three are baseball players.

The Peruvian delegation says swimmer Mauricio Fiol, the silver medallist in the 200-metre butterfly, has also tested positive for steroids and has been suspended from the team.