New Zealand cross-country skier Ben Koons will miss two of his four Winter Olympic events for health reasons.
Koons was due to compete in the men's 15km freestyle event at the Winter Olympics near Vancouver on Tuesday morning.
However, he has been stood down from competition until this weekend because testing returned haemoglobin levels that exceeded safety limits.
Koons will miss two of his four Olympic events. Subject to the results of a new test, he will compete in the 30km pursuit and the 50km mass start.
Chef de mission Peter Wardell says Koons had been training at altitude and may have been slightly dehydrated at the time of testing which can raise haemoglobin levels.
The stand-down is to protect the health of the athlete, as high haemoglobin levels increase the risk of thrombosis and other medical issues.
Two other cross-country skiers at Vancouver have been stood down for exceeding haemoglobin limits.
Calder finishes 63rd
New Zealand cross-country skier Katy Calder has finished 63rd in the women's 10km freestyle event at the Winter Olympics.
The event was won by Charlotte Kalla of Sweden in a time of 24 minutes 58 seconds, almost four minutes faster than Calder.
