LONDON: American judo player Nicholas Delpopolo has been expelled from the Olympic Games after testing positive for marijuana.

Delpopolo, who had finished seventh in the 73kg judo event, accepted his expulsion, but said that the positive test had been caused by inadvertently eating food that he did not realise had been baked with the recreational drug.

The athlete had eaten the food before leaving for the London Games, the International Olympic Committee's report said.

In accepting his fate, Delpopolo apologised to his national Olympic committee, his teammates and his fans and indicated that he was embarrassed by the mistake.

He waived the right for his case to be heard before the Disciplinary Commission. AGENCIES