Four athletes have been pulled from the Pan Am Games after failing drug tests.
Organizers said Friday that three tested positive for anabolic steroids: weightlifter Cinthya Vanessa Dominguez Lara of Mexico and baseball players Nelson Gomez of Puerto Rico and Javier Jesus Ortiz Angulo of Colombia. The fourth, baseball player Mario Mercedes Castillo of the Dominican Republic, tested positive for a banned stimulant.
The Peruvian delegation also says swimmer Mauricio Fiol has tested positive for steroids and has been suspended from the team. Fiol won the silver medal in the 200-meter butterfly.
Eduardo De Rose, chairman of the organization's medical commission, says it's surprising to see this many doping violations so early in the games.
Fiol tested positive for stanozolol and has the option of asking for the result of the B sample.
''I don't understand how this could have happened,'' Fiol said. ''I've always promoted fair play.''
The team said in a statement it is ''profoundly sorry for the incident, which affects not only the athlete but all Peruvians.''
The Pan Am Sports Association says it does not confirm or comment on doping cases for 48 hours after receiving test results so those athletes can have a chance to address the allegations.
