One of the men's doubles world championship pair, Sigit Budiarto of Indonesia, recently awarded a scholarship from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to help take him to Sydney, has failed a dope test.

The International Badminton Federation (IBF) announced in a statement yesterday that the 22-year-old had tested positive for nandrolone at a routine dope test in Singapore between August 10th and 16th.

Sigit won the doubles at that grand prix tournament with playing partner and compatriot Chandra Wijaya.

The duo, currently ranked ninth, won the 1997 world championship doubles title. An IBF spokeswoman said Sigit was a "particularly promising" player.

"Analysis of the first part of this sample has detected nandrolone, an anabolic steroid which is on the IOC list of banned substances," the IBF statement said.

It said a second "B" urine sample had yet to be tested and would be done so in the presence of a representative of the player and/or his association.

"It is not IBF's usual practice to release such information until the second part of the same urine sample has been tested and has confirmed the findings from the `A' sample and a disciplinary hearing has taken place," the IBF statement said.

"However, it appears that the above information has already become known outside IBF and PBSI (badminton association of Indonesia)."

The IBF said it would make no further comment until after any disciplinary hearing.

The spokeswoman at the organisation's English headquarters said that positive dope tests in badminton were very rare and she could recall only two.

"I don't believe we have any mandatory ban, but it will be regarded very seriously indeed," she said.

Sigit, who pulled out of this month's Danish Open due to injury, was a top gold medal contender for the Asian Games in Bangkok in December as well as an Olympic hope.

Last month, he and Chandra were among three Indonesian badminton players to be awarded two-year solidarity scholarships by the IOC.

The scholarships were worth around £1,200 a month until August 31st, 2000, to help cover the cost of coaching, medical care, training facilities, insurance and an allowance.

That funding is now likely to be ended, if the second test is also positive, along with his participation in the Olympics since the qualifying period starts in March.

"I would think that he's going to be pretty well excluded from that anyway," said an official.

The news of Sigit's failed dope test was the second time the sport has had negative publicity this week.

On Monday, two of England's top players were banned from representing their country after being involved in high-jinks with brooms after a few drinks in their Dutch hotel.

Commonwealth Games team bronze medallist Peter Knowles was suspended until the end of the year while team-mate Colin Haughton was banned until the end of November.

Both will lose funding for international tournaments.