Italian bobsleigher William Frullani fails Sochi drugs test

Italian Winter Olympic four-man bobsleigh member William Frullani has failed a drugs test, the Italian Olympic Committee have confirmed.

The 34-year-old, who tested positive for the substance dymetylpentylamine, has been ejected from Italy's Winter Olympic team and replaced by reserve Samuele Romanini.

"The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) now needs to sort out the composition of the bobsleigh team which Frullani was part of, to make it back up to four," CONI said in a statement.

"They have requested that the athlete be replaced with the reserve Samuele Romanini and clearance for this has been received from the IOC.​"

Frullani is the second athlete to fail a drug test after an unnamed member of the German contingent also tested positive for a banned substance.

The four-man bobsleigh event gets underway tomorrow.