Weightlifting Chief: "Doping Belongs to Modern Sport"

(ATR) Tamás Aján tells Around the Rings the IWF’s decision to ban the Russian team was linked to "some very special things".

The president of the International Weightlifting Federation hinted to ATR that the Russian weightlifting federation’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport might fail today. A decision is expected later Wednesday.

"We discovered some very special things [about Russian lifters]. This is also behind the decision," he said of the IWF’s executive board decision to ban Russia’s eight lifters from the Games last Friday.

"It is very painful for me because Russia has done a lot for weightlifting sport in the last five decades," he said.

"We took a very strict, tough decision. We suspended competitors not only Russia but from the other countries," Aján said, noting that Azerbaijan and Bulgaria were also banned from Rio.

Four Russian lifters were named in WADA investigator Richard McLaren’s report revealing state-sponsored doping. Another two were banned due to previous doping offenses, in line with the IOC’s eligibility rules for Russians to compete at the Rio Games.

Aján said the IWF’s decision was also based on the seven confirmed doping violations for Russian lifters from the combined reanalysis of doping samples from the London and Beijing Olympics.

Aján did not exude confidence when asked if he hoped the Rio Games weightlifting competition would be doping free.After a turbulent 2015 – there were 24 positive drug tests at the world championships in Houston, with 70 lifters sanctioned for doping last year – he virtually conceded that some cheats may prosper again at the Rio Olympics.

"I hope [doping free]. I am an optimistic person. But now unfortunately the doping belongs to modern sport," he told ATR.

"Every time not like organized doping system but I think time to time you can find positive cases. If you find one or two this can happen," he said.

"This is only speculation. But I hope no, especially after what happened before is a good lesson for everyone. What happened now in Russia, this is a very special thing," he said.

On a brighter note, Aján said he expected a good Games for his sport. Despite the trio of missing nations, more countries, 94, are participating in the weightlifting competition than ever before.

Written by Mark Bissonin Rio de Janeiro

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