Bulgarian Athletes Lose Doping Appeal

˝Both athletes will miss the Beijing games, but they will be able to compete again in April 2009,˝ Karamarinov added.

Bulgaria's European 400m champion Vanya Stambolova and high jump silver medallist Venelina Veneva have failed to have their two-year doping bans overturned and will not be at the Beijing Olympics, their federation announced Tuesday.

"The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the two-year bans. We received the confirmation late Monday," federation president Dobromir Karamarinov told AFP.

Stambolova, 24, and Veneva, 33, tested positive for excessive levels of the male hormone testosterone during an out-of-competition test in Budapest where they trained in January 2007. They have been provisionally suspended since April 2007.

"Both athletes will miss the Beijing games, but they will be able to compete again in April 2009," Karamarinov added.

Veneva won silver medal at at the 2006 European championships and bronze medal at the 2007 European indoor championships in March before she was provisionally suspended.

Stambolova was crowned European 400m champion in Gothenburg, Sweden, in August 2006.