Boonen cocaine trial dropped

Brussels - Former world cycling champion Tom Boonen will not face trial after testing positive for cocaine last year, Belgian news agency Belga reported citing Belgian authorities.

A spokesperson for the Belgian city of Turnhout's prosecutor's office was not immediately available for comment.

An out-of-competition doping test conducted between two races last May found traces of the drug in the 28-year-old rider's urine sample, leading to the Belgian rider being barred from the 2008 Tour de France.

The Quick Step rider did not refer to the drugs issue in a news conference he gave last June after local prosecutors confirmed they were investigating him for suspected cocaine possession. Boonen said merely that he was "not perfect".