Pakistani powerlifter Naveed Ahmed Butt became the first athlete caught for doping offense at the Beijing Paralympics, while a dozen of sparkling sporting performances are expected to come on Tuesday.
Butt, 37, had been kicked out of the Games after testing positive for methandienone metabolites, a steroid, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said in a statement. He also received a two-year ban.
The urine sample was taken on September 4 in Beijing, two days before the opening ceremony, the IPC said.
In the Athens 2004 Paralympics, 680 doping tests were conducted and 10 violations emerged. The IPC planned to carry out 1,100 tests at the Beijing Paralympics.
A total of 61 gold medal events are scheduled for Day Three, the most in any single day during the 11-day Games.
In sports action, a high-profile sprinting showdown looms at the Bird's Nest stadium in the evening with American defending champion Brian Frasure meeting "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius in the 100m in their classification category.
In the pool, Daniel Dias of Brazil and Jessica Long of the United States, with two gold medals each, will go after the podium top again on Tuesday, and Chinese amputee swimmer Wang Xiaofu will compete in the men's S8 100m butterfly to continue his quest of winning eight gold medals in Beijing.
Athletes will compete over 11 days in 20 sports in five different categories of disability, with a total of 472 gold medals at stake.
The Paralympics end on Sept. 17.
(Xinhua News Agency September 9, 2008)