Spanish cyclist Maria Isabel Moreno has become the first competitor at the Beijing Olympics to fail a drug test, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Monday.

Moreno, better known as Maribel Moreno, had been entered for the women's road race and individual time trial and tested positive for the endurance-boosting EPO drug.

IOC spokesperson Giselle Davies said Moreno was tested on July 31 and left the city on the same evening. The IOC officially took control of drug testing on July 27.

President of the Sapnish Cycling Federation Fulgencio Sanchez reacts during a press conference after Spanish cyclist Maria Isobel Moreno became the first athlete to fail a doping test at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on August 11, 2008 in Beijing. [Agencies]

Davies said Moreno, 27, had been stripped of her Games accreditation and the matter had been referred to the International Cycling Union (UCI).

The IOC said it expected between 30 and 40 positive drug tests during the Aug 8-24 Games and has boosted the number of Games-related drug tests to more than 4,500.

UCI President Pat McQuaid confirmed the doping offense.

"I am aware of this positive dope test. All I know is that it was an out-of-competition test that took place some time last week," he told Reuters.

The Spanish Olympic Committee (SOC) said it was unaware of the positive test until being informed on Monday.

"We got this news for breakfast," said Jose Maria Bello, SOC Director of Communications.

"She arrived in the first group of Spanish athletes on July 31. It seems the same day she arrived, she had a drug test and after that had a panic attack and asked the (cycling) Federation to be allowed return to Madrid."

Moreno could now face a two-year ban and under a new IOC rule could also miss the 2012 London Olympics.

A statement on the cyclist's official website posted on Aug 9 (www.maribelmoreno.com) said Moreno was in Spain recovering from "a strong anxiety attack suffered in the athletes' village".

"Even though her state of health is good she does not feel ready to justify or explain her reasons for leaving the village," the statement said. It said she was planning to hold a press conference in the Spanish city of Zaragoza on Monday.

Cycling has been among the hardest hit by the spread of doping in professional sports in recent years, and Spanish cyclists have been embroiled in some of the biggest drugs cases.

Two Spanish riders tested positive for EPO during this year's Tour de France, cycling's premier event, last month, prompting the World Anti-Doping Agency to warn doping risked the future of the sport.

Agencies