Alinghi team hit by positive doping test

America's Cup holders Alinghi have announced a positive doping test by one of their sailors following the second race of this year's competition.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Swiss team said trimmer Simon Daubney had provided a urine test which showed traces of an unnamed recreational drug.

According to the statement, the New Zealander appeared before a five-man America's Cup jury in London on Wednesday which cleared him of any fault of negligence.

"This comes as a relief to me as I have never knowingly taken a banned substance," Daubney is quoted as saying.

"However, until this matter is completely resolved, I have resigned from Alinghi, so that they can go about their business without distraction."

Daubney said he believed that he had received the unnamed substance as result of "contamination and/or drink-spiking."

Alinghi completed their successful defence of the America's Cup title in July, beating Team New Zealand 5-2 off the Spanish port of Valencia.