Brazilian powerlifter Bruno Pinheiro Carra handed nine-month ban

A Brazilian powerlifter who was due to perform at the Paralympics has been banned for nine months for failing a drugs test.

Bruno Pinheiro Carra was suspended before the games after testing positive for banned diuretics, which he claims were a result of green tea capsules.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said he failed the test on August 24 and was provisionally banned a week later - the day he was due to compete.

He told officials he had taken green tea capsules, which were later found to contain the banned substances - despite not listing them on the label.

An IPC spokesman said: "In accordance with the IPC Anti-Doping Code, Bruno Pinheiro Carra will serve a nine month suspension for the violation beginning on 28 August 2012, the date of notification.

"All results obtained from the date of sample collection the competition on 24 August 2012 and onwards, will be disqualified with all the resulting consequences, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes."

Carra was also fined 560 euro.