(XINHUA)

Olympic champion judoka Tong Wen, who claimed the women's 78 kg title at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 and three successive gold medals at the world championships, has been banned for two years for doping.

The decision was made by the International Judo Federation in Tunis on May 7. Tong, 27, failed the doping test last August at the world championships in the Netherlands.

"The banned substance Tong took is clebruterol that has the function of blood vessel dilatation in medical treatment. But clebruterol overdose can boost muscle, like an anabolic steroid," said Zhao Jian, Deputy Director of the China Anti-Doping Agency.

"Clebruterol is not an advanced anabolic steroid and it is very easy to test for it. We had tested Tong last year before she went to the Netherlands but found nothing then," he said.

Tong has attributed the doping offence to food containing the banned substance and said she hoped to defend her Olympic title in London in 2012.