Lausanne (AFP)
Egypt has been suspended by the International Weightlifting Federation for doping cases and will not compete in the World Championships that kicked off Wednesday in Thailand, the International Federation (IWF) said.
The Egyptian federation has been suspended for two years, starting on September 12 and "has 21 days to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)," said the IWF in a statement sent to AFP.
The decision to suspend Egypt was taken by an independent panel, the IWF added that "will not make any more comment", for the moment.
The suspension follows a series of seven positive doping tests for young weightlifters in 2016.
Each federation with at least three positive controls over a one-year period will be suspended for two years.
No Egyptian will therefore participate in the World Championships taking place in Pattaya (Thailand) from 18 to 27 September.
Egypt could in theory also be removed from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games if the CAS confirms its suspension.
It would be a very hard blow for a country in which weightlifting has yielded 11 medals, including 5 in gold, out of a total of 31 medals won in its 22 Olympic participations.
Egypt earned two bronze medals at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, thanks to Mohamed Ehab Mahmoud (-77 kg), also world champion, and Sarah Ahmed in the women's (-69 kg). Both are still chances of medals next summer in Tokyo.
© 2019 AFP