Weightlifting Federation lift Armenia's doping suspension early

PanARMENIAN.Net - The International Weightlifting Federation announced on Tuesday, June 12 that Armenia, Turkey and Azerbaijan will have their doping-related suspensions from international weightlifting competitions lifted early.

As part of a continuous monitoring process in place since the suspensions took effect, the Independent Monitoring Group (IMG), composed of independent anti-doping experts, has now found that three of the suspended members have met all the criteria to warrant the provisional restoration of some of their rights as members.

This includes a conditional return of athletes to competition under stricter eligibility requirements compared to those regularly imposed by the IWF.

Armenia has been given the opportunity to participate with youth athletes at youth IWF events from June 19 and with junior and senior athletes and Technical Officials from August 19.

The decision to favour youth athletes reflects a decision of the IWF Executive Board to provide additional opportunities for a young and demonstrably clean generation of young weightlifters who can serve as ambassadors for the sport in international competition.

Other rights of the three Member Federations remain suspended, including:

- The right to organize IWF Events, IWF Congress, IWF Executive Board meetings, meetings of IWF Commissions and Committees;

- The right to participate in the Congress with voting rights;

- The right to submit proposals for inclusion in the Agenda of the Congress;

- The right to submit proposals for the modification of the IWF Constitution, Technical and Competition Rules & Regulations;

- The right to take part in and benefit from the IWF Development program apart from Education and Anti-Doping Seminars.

Armenia was among nine of the world’s most successful nations banned from the 2017 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships in Anaheim because of multiple doping offences at the Olympic Games.

It was reported earlier that the IWF is effectively allowing Armenia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Belarus only two places each at Tokyo 2020 – as the new rules state that any nation with 20 or more doping violations from 2008 to 2020 will have just one man and one woman at the Games.