Doping: IWF provisionally suspends five Russian weightlifters

[August 14, 2019]    (Reuters) - Five Russian weightlifters have been provisionally suspended for potential doping violations based on data retrieved from a Moscow laboratory, the sport's governing body has said.

Oleg Chen, from Russia competes in the men's 69 kg A division during the International Weightlifting Federation World Championships at George R. Brown Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) said it suspended the athletes "in view of the severity of the asserted anti-doping rule violations and compelling nature of the evidence" it received from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

The five suspended athletes are 2012 Olympics bronze medalist Ruslan Albegov, 2013 women's world champion Tima Turieva, David Bedzhanyan, Oleg Chen and Egor Klimonov.

"The IWF regrets these additional cases of doping in our sport from some years ago," IWF President Tamas Ajan said in a statement https://www.iwf.net/2019/08/13/iwf-opens-disciplinary-proceedings-5-athletes-basis-investigations-russian-doping-scheme.

"We note without any satisfaction that weightlifting was far from the only sport to have been affected by the extensive and historical Russian doping revealed by whistleblowers, the media and WADA.

"We can be satisfied, however, that the IWF has shown once again our determination to protect clean sport and promote clean athletes. We have not shown any hesitation in taking the right decisions."

(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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