KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaican sprinter Julien Dunkley has been dropped from the country's Olympic team, although officials declined to say whether he was the unidentified athlete who recently tested positive for a banned substance.

Mike Fennell, president of the Jamaica Olympic Association, told a local radio station Wednesday that Dunkley's name was removed from the 53-member team late Monday.

"I will comment when it is appropriate," he said.

Fennell said Monday that an athlete had tested positive from Jamaica's national athletics trials held last month.

Dunkley was quoted in Wednesday's edition of The Jamaica Observer as saying he's never taken any banned substances.

"Let's be real, I didn't run anything ridiculous and I tried my best, so it does seem far-fetched," he was quoted as saying.

Dunkley said he has not been told why he was dropped and that he still plans to arrive in China on Thursday.

"My ticket is valid," he told the paper.

Fennell said officials are prepared for any dispute.

"We will deal with it properly," he said in an interview with Nationwide News Network.

The athlete accused of doping likely will be identified by the end of the week in accordance with a five-day rule imposed by the International Association of Athletics Federations.

Fennell has said that the athlete is not a "major" member of the Beijing-bound team.

Dunkley did not qualify for the 100 meters at Jamaica's Olympic trials in June, but was expected to be a member of the relay team.

Calls to Dunkley's home in North Carolina were not returned. He attended East Carolina University, where he won the 60-meter title at the 2003 U.S. college indoor championships.