The 31-year-old goalkeeper tested positive for sibutramine metabolites di-desmethysibutramine following an Asian Champions Trophy match in South Korea on May 18.

An investigation later found the substance was an unnamed ingredient in a slimming coffee Dongxiao had drank, and that the player was not aware she was ingesting the appetite suppressant at the time.

A statement put out by the FIH today, however, said it was still Dongxiao’s responsibility to ensure she did not consume a banned substance, and therefore she will be banned until midnight on May 15 next year. 

The player won the top goalkeeper award at the 2015 World League Finals in Argentina and was part of China’s squad at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where they failed to qualify from the group stage.

Despite Dongxiao’s suspension, the FIH have emphasised that failed tests in hockey are rare, claiming only 0.2 percent of tests carried out "over the last couple of years" have come back positive.

They also say "a few thousand athletes" have taken a mandatory anti-doping online course since 2016 and that they will set up an "anti-doping booth" at several hockey series finals next year.

Dongxiao has not appealed the sanction against her.