Moroccan middle-distance runner Amine Laalou has been banned from the London Olympics after failing a doping test, a Moroccan team official said on Friday.

Moroccan athletics federation deputy secretary Mohammed Nouri confirmed from Rabat that Laalou had been suspended.

Laalou, 30, was due to line up in the second heat of the men's 1500 metres heats in London on Friday but was not among the starters.

French paper L'Equipe reported that Laalou had tested positive for the banned substance furosemide at a grand prix meeting in Monaco on July 20.

Laalou finished fourth in Monaco and was the sixth fastest man at the distance this year.

Laalou's positive test came days after fellow Moroccan Mariem Alaoui Selsouli, a hot favourite for the women's 1,500m in London after winning a silver medal at the world indoor championships this year, also tested positive for the banned diuretic on July 6.

He is the fifth athlete to miss the Games due to doping since the start of the Olympic testing period on July 16.

Russian track rider Victoria Baranova, Uzbek gymnast Luiza Galiulina, Albanian weightlifter Hysen Pulaku and St Kitts and Nevis sprinter Tameka Williams have already been thrown out of the Games.

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