TAIPEI: A Taiwanese player who failed a drugs test before the Beijing Olympics has been suspended from international action for one year over the use of a banned substance, the island’s sports association said on Tuesday.

Third baseman Chang Tai-shan may not participate in the March 2009 World Baseball Classic or other competitions until next August due to his use of a chemical that he claimed came from fertility drugs, the International Baseball Federation decided.

The news came as a loss to Chang, who had played for the island’s team since 1998, and for the club itself, the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association said.

“Even though this banned substance has no way of enhancing performance, it is still listed as an IOC banned substance, causing Chang a lifetime of regret,” it said.

Chang was suspended on August 13 and sat out his team’s opening Olympic win over the Netherlands. He apologised to the baseball federation at a hearing during the Olympics and said he had been using fertility drugs.