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IWF Imposes Preliminary Suspension on Turkey

As written on its banner and true to its determination to fight doping, the IWF refuses to tolerate any attempts at cheating or actions that ruin the integrity and the prestige of the sport of weightlifting – regardless of the identity of individuals or organisations involved.

Owing to a series of breeches against the WADA and the IWF Anti-Doping Policies in the course of unannounced out-of-competition controls among its weightlifters in 2005, the Turkish Weightlifting Federation is now sanctioned by the IWF with a preliminary suspension in international events. Such violations included:
– multiple and belated modifications of the athletes’ whereabouts data, which made unannounced controls almost impossible;
– three athletes were pretending to be their missing team-mates selected for the testing
– one lifter refused to be tested
– athletes’ coach was trying to cover up his competitors by false explanations

The preliminary suspension is in force until the IWF Executive Board meeting on 15 November 2005, when the Board will give the Turkish Federation a hearing and decide about further procedures or sanctions.