Senior Israeli sportsman sailor Udi Gal has tested positive for a controlled substance in an initial urine test performed by the Olympic Committee of Israel (OCI), Yedioth Ahronoth reported Monday.

Gal, who along with his skipper Gideon Kliger won the bronze medal at the Sailing 470 Open European Championships over the weekend, is considered one of the Israel's favorites for an Olympic medal in Beijing.

Following the initial test results, the Olympic Committee of Israel ordered Gal to undergo further drug tests. The OCI, along with the International Sailing Federation and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)– which coordinates and monitors the fight against doping in sports – will decide Gal's future as a competitive sailor once the test results are in.

The initial test was conducted in May and revealed traces of Finasteride, which despite the fact that it is not a performance-enhancing drug, is still on the WADA's forbidden substances list.

Any athlete who wants to use Finasteride – which is the predominant ingredient in the anti-hair loss drug Propecia – must be given permission to do so by the WADA.

Gal, who also serves as chairman of the Israeli Olympic Sportsmen Committee, has admitted to using Propecia.

Should Gal's follow-up tests show traces of the drug the Israeli Olympic Committee and the International Sailing Federation would be required to take disciplinary action against Gal, which may result in his suspension for a lengthy period of time.

The International Sailing Federation and WADA have the authority to bar any athlete who tests positive for drugs from the Olympic Games.

Dr. Jacques Asharov, head of the Israeli anti-doping committee, was surprised to learn the story has leaked to the press: "I'm amazed by the fact that there are no secrets in this country. The only three people who are supposed to know about this are myself and two other people in the Olympic Committee. We haven't analyzed the additional tests yet, and if they're negative, the entire test will be rendered negative."

Moshe Gal, Udi's father and the director of the sailing club Gal and Kliger compete for denied any knowledge of the test results.