An embarrassing drugs scandal involving a leading British athlete is threatening to overshadow today's launch of a new governing body for the sport as it attempts to attract lucrative sponsorship deals and appeal to a wider audience.

United Kingdom Athletics, which is being formally launched in central London amid promises of a bright new era for the sport, confirmed yesterday that an athlete had tested positive for a banned drug.

Spokeswoman Jayne Pearce said that the athlete, who has not been named and is believed to have represented Britain at leading international events, would not be banned from competing until a special committee had been set up to investigate.

The athlete has been informed of the positive test and Pearce said that a second sample had also tested positive for a prohibited substance.

News of the scandal comes with a special International Olympic Committee conference due to take place in Lausanne next week on how to combat drugs in sport. Many in the movement see drugs as being more dangerous than corruption to the integrity of the Olympic Games.

Pearce said yesterday: "UK Athletics confirms that it has been informed that a recent B test has confirmed a positive A sample which had been taken.

"In view of the transition in governing body status from BAF (British Athletic Federation) to UK Athletics, UK Athletics and BAF are working together to decide the procedures to be followed."

The handling of the latest scandal, however, is sure to cause concern and highlights the lack of procedures as the transition from one governing body to another takes place.

The BAF was disbanded 18 months ago, but technically has remained the sport's governing body, even though it was not functioning. The athlete is believed to have failed the first test while the BAF was still in existence but the transition process to UK Athletics has meant a lack of clear leadership in recent months.

Many of those involved in the sport also protest that they have not even seen the new body's rule book and that the rules surrounding drug-taking athletes are unclear.

Pearce said that even though the athlete had failed two tests, it was up to a special committee to decide if a ban should be imposed. The committee has yet to be formed and it is not known who will sit on it.

She added: "This is not a cover up. We are being fair to the athlete, the sport and the rules. UK Athletics does not have the power to suspend the athlete until it is proven by the committee that there has been a doping case.

"If the athlete chooses to reveal (themselves) that's fine. We, as representing the governing body, are not allowed to do that. That may have happened in other cases but we are not going to do that now.

"If the rules are followed scrupulously the confidentiality lasts until the athlete is suspended. What sometimes happens is that things come out early but we are spot-on following the rules.

"An athlete is innocent until proven guilty. I believe the athlete has the right to confidentiality."

Leading athletes yesterday expressed concern at the handling of the scandal.

Britain's triple jump world-record holder Jonathan Edwards said: "This could go down as a very dark day for British athletics.

"For me the big issue right now is not the Olympic committee story but the athlete who has tested positive for drugs.

"It casts a cloud over the whole of British athletics. No time is a good time but the sport has been coming out of a tunnel recently."

He went on: "I only heard about the story on Sunday. I didn't have a clue who it was but I knew a lot of people it couldn't be."

The latest scandal is not the first time that a domestic governing body for athletics has been criticised for the way it has dealt with such a problem.

Diane Modahl is still suing the BAF for more than £500,000 after being reinstated from a drugs suspension imposed in 1994 when it was found that the testing facilities in Lisbon were inadequate.