The International Weightlifting Federation began its two-day meeting in Tiblisi, Georgia, by focusing on anti-doping efforts, and took the unprecedented step of banning Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus from the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, subject to the IOC’s confirmation of positive doping results from 2008 and 2012.
The IWF press release stated that:
The IWF Executive Board has decided that National Federations confirmed to have produced 3 or more Anti-Doping Rule Violations in the combined re-analysis process of the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games shall be suspended for 1 year. Countries thus subject to suspension are: KAZ, RUS, BLR.
Traditionally, international sporting federations have been able to ban teams from specific countries if a certain number of athletes tested positive for doping in a team sport. Thus far, international federations have not typically, if ever, suspended an entire country’s team in an individual sport, such as weightlifting.
This is at least Russia’s second sport that may not be able to compete in the Olympics, following the IAAF banning Russia’s track and field team. FINA, meanwhile, has not taken any definite steps in that direction, but just over a week did issue a statement asking to be made aware of any evidence relative to doping and alluded to “immediate disciplinary action” should any evidence be produced.
