German sports officials say one of their athletes has failed a drug test in the first announced doping case of the Sochi Olympics.

Germany's Olympic Committee announced Friday it had been informed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) late Thursday that the athlete had tested positive on a sample.

German officials did not name the athlete. The IOC was to meet Friday to discuss the issue.

In competition Friday, Marielle Thompson narrowly edged out Canadian compatriot Kelsey Serwa to win the Olympic women's ski cross title.

The two Canadians, who seized control of the race from the start, gave their country a third gold and silver double in the freestyle skiing events. Sweden's Anna Holmlund took bronze.

In other events, the United States and Canada renew their rivalry on the ice in the men's hockey semifinal.

The Canadian men have won gold in two of the three past Olympics, including in 2010 in Vancouver over the United States. The two nations squared off Thursday in the women's ice hockey final, with Canada winning 3-2 in overtime.

The other semifinal men's hockey matchup features Sweden and Finland in a rematch of the 2006 Turin Olympics final, when Sweden took the gold. The two nations have also met four times for the world championship, with each side winning two.

Also, Slovenian skier Tina Maze is seeking her third gold medal at the Sochi games in the women's slalom. Eighteen-year-old American Mikaela Shiffrin is also among the favorites in the event.

Canada is looking for its third straight Olympic gold in men's curling when it squares off against Britain, which is seeking the country's first medal in the event since 1924.

Other medal events include the men's short-track speedskating 5,000-meter relay, women's short-track 1,000 meter speedskating and men's short-track 500-meter speedskating.

The United States leads in the overall medal count with 25, followed by Russia with 23, the Netherlands and Canada with 22, and Norway with 21. In gold medals, Norway leads with 10, and the U.S. and Germany are tied with eight apiece.

Some information for this report comes from AP, AFP and Reuters. [Read More]

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Source: VOA News: War and Conflict