A member of the first Jamaican women's bobsleigh team to compete at the Winter Olympic Games failed a drugs test the month before Pyeongchang 2018 ©Getty Images

A member of the first Jamaican women's bobsleigh team to compete at the Winter Olympic Games failed a drugs test the month before Pyeongchang 2018, it has been revealed.

Jamaica Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (JBSF) President Christian Stokes confirmed to Reuters that one of their athletes had tested positive for a banned substance in January.

They then went on to represent the country at last month's Games in Pyeongchang despite the positive test.

The identity of the athlete has not yet been announced but Stokes said they had been officially notified.

American-born driver Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian and former track sprinter Carrie Russell were the members of the two-woman team which finished 19th.

"Well, we got a notification that one our athletes returned an adverse analytical finding and we’re very much in a process," Stokes told Reuters.

"Early days yet, but what I will say in all the circumstances, we are confident we will end with a positive outcome."

Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian and Carrie Russell were the members of the two-woman team which finished 19th at Pyeongchang 2018 as Jamaica's women made their Olympic bobsleigh debut ©Getty Images
Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian and Carrie Russell were the members of the two-woman team which finished 19th at Pyeongchang 2018 as Jamaica's women made their Olympic bobsleigh debut ©Getty Images

It has been claimed that the athlete in question tested positive for clenbuterol, a banned anabolic steroid.

Reports claim the A sample showed traces of the drug and the B sample had not yet been tested.

A documentary by German broadcaster ARD last year revealed minimal traces of clenbuterol were found in samples provided by Jamaican sprinters at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Athletes have previously tested positive for the substance as a result of contaminated meat.

"I’m not at liberty to discuss the substance itself, but just to say that the [banned] list is long and there are many ways to end up with substances in your system, on purpose or inadvertently or simple by going about your daily life," added Stokes, a member of the Jamaican team that competed at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, inspiring the cult Hollywood movie Cool Runnings.

"So we are assessing what our particular situation is."

The news marks another setback for the Jamaican women's bobsleigh team, who were on the brink of withdrawing from Pyeongchang 2018 following a row with former coach Sandra Kiriasis.

The German resigned in the days leading up to the bobsleigh event after a dispute with the JBSF.

She claimed she legally owned the rights to the sled, which threw Jamaica's participation into doubt.

Beer company Red Stripe then stepped in and offered to pay for a new sled for the team.