The Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) has reiterated its pledge to eradicate the doping menace even as eight weightlifters have tested positive for a banned “anabolic” substance in the samples collected at the all-India inter-Railways championship held in Kolkata earlier this month.
Temporarily suspended
According to IWLF Secretary Sahdev Yadav, these lifters had been temporarily suspended from participating in any competition.
Yadav said the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) conducted the tests on the request of the IWLF. Altogether, 25 samples were collected at the competition.
If the ‘B' samples also return positive results, then the Railways would have to pay a fine of Rs 50,000 apart from getting a one-year ban, Yadav said.
The ‘B' sample results are expected sometime next week after which the cases will come up for hearing before the NADA disciplinary panel.
Yadav said in a statement that the IWLF was trying to curb doping at the District and State level by conducting tests at different departmental competitions. He said not a single Indian lifter had been tested positive in any international competition in 2010.
