Former world No. 1 female player from the KLRC Badminton Club, Zhou Mi has been banned for two years by the Badminton World Federation after testing positive for clenbuterol.

A urine sample taken from the Hong Kong player in late June tested positive for the drug, the governing body said in a statement on Saturday and Zhou’s ban rules her out qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics, but she is expected to appeal.

Badminton World Federation chief operating officer Thomas Lund said in a statement it was the body’s first drug ban in recent years. ”The case sends a strong message to elite athletes in the sport, who need to be aware of prohibited substances and the consequences of taking these either deliberately or inadvertently,”

Zhou is the second shuttler from the KLRC Badminton Club who has been involved in a doping scandal in recent years with Men’s Singles player Sairul Ayob failing an A Sample test in 2007 at the Dutch Open.

The Hong Kong Badminton Association said Zhou took the Chinese medication for a fever while training in Singapore in June, ”She was not aware of the prohibited substance possibly in the medication,” the statement said.

Zhou, currently ranked world No. 13, plans to appeal, ”I passed all my drug tests in past 20-plus years. I have never thought about using improper methods to improve my results,”

The 31-year-old from the southern Chinese city Nanning won bronze for China at the Athens Games in 2004 but moved to Hong Kong in late 2006, after being told by the National Team to throw her Olympic semi final match against compatriot Zhang Ning who went on to take the Gold medal.