Hardy may lose berth

Swimmer Jessica Hardy, who qualified for the Olympics in multiple events, has allegedly tested positive for a banned substance, according to reports.

NBCOlympics.com said that both her A and B samples have come back positive and that the substance was believed to be a stimulant.

She was tested at the U.S. Olympic trials in Omaha last month, and a penalty for a doping offense can result in a two-year ban.

Phone messages left at the home of Hardy, 21, and her parents in Long Beach were not returned, and USA Swimming’s general manager and head coach Mark Schubert was not available for comment. Neither was Hardy’s personal coach, Dave Salo of USC.

The U.S. Olympic swimmers, who are training at Stanford, have a team meeting scheduled for today, according to a coach who has a swimmer going to Beijing and requested anonymity because the team had been ordered not to discuss the matter.

The same coach told The Times in an interview on Wednesday night that Hardy, who qualified in the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter breaststroke, had left the camp at Stanford and was not at practice Wednesday but had been seen at training the previous day and was visibly emotional.

Hardy’s agent, Evan Morgenstein, said she told him that she didn’t do anything wrong and did not cheat.

“I’m very, very concerned about the confusion of her test coming up positive-negative-positive,” Morgenstein told the Associated Press. “She’s the one person I would never believe would do anything -- anything -- to cheat. Ever.”

It appears that she has two chances remaining of getting back on the team in time for the Games, which start next month. A favorable ruling in arbitration could put Hardy back on the team and the last resort would come from the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The development comes at an especially problematic time. Official Olympic entries had to be made by July 21 and it is too late to add a swimmer who is not already on the team, meaning Hardy cannot be replaced by the third-place finishers at the trials, Lara Jackson in the 50 freestyle and Tara Kirk in the 100 breaststroke.

Replacements probably would be Rebecca Soni in the breaststroke event and Kara Lynn Joyce in the 50 freestyle because both already are members of the current squad.

Hardy had qualified in the two individual events and was expected to be a key member on two relays: the 400 freestyle and the 400 medley.

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lisa.dillman@latimes.com