International weightlifting federation reportedly covered doping

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), under the leadership of its historic president Tamas Ajan, has covered doping practices for years and established "a culture of corruption", says German television channel ARD in an investigation aired on Sunday.

* The International Weightlifting Federation and its long-time chief Tamas Ajan have been accused of doping cover-ups over decades. * @ KirenRijiju @wada_ama @iaaforg @iocmedia @aiu_athletics @ians_india @ANI @PTI_News @AP @AFP @UPI_RBLX @Reuters @NADAIndiaOffice @tassagency_en pic.twitter.com/O5U9pAltVc

Half of uncontrolled medal athletes

At the time of the broadcast, the IWF had not responded. Until 2017, high-level weightlifters were not tested regularly, and some doping monitors were offered money to handle samples, says ARD reporter Hajo Seppelt, the man who exposed the widespread doping scandal in Russia.

Out of 453 medalists from the Olympic Games or the world championships between 2008 and 2017, 204 had never undergone out-of-competition doping tests in the year of their medal. Dorin Balmus, a doctor from the Moldovan Federation, explained to a hidden camera how the urine samples were handled, and sometimes simply provided by someone other than the athlete being tested. The suspicious controllers were then corrupted.

Doping in weightlifting “I had a jaw like a man. And a beard. " https://t.co/VbRSjmXugC

Christian Baumgartner, the president of the German Federation interviewed by ARD, accused the 80-year-old Hungarian Tamas Ajan, president of the IWF since 2000, of having covered up these frauds: “Ajan is responsible for a system which established the doping in weightlifting and which has derailed for decades. A culture of corruption has spread, ”he says.

Several suspicious transfers to the account of the President of the International Federation

ARD also refers to documents which show that at least five million dollars (almost 4.5 million EUR) paid to the IWF by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) were transferred to accounts in Switzerland of which Ajan alone Control.

In June 2017, given the alarming number of doping cases in weightlifting, especially during the reanalysis of samples from the Olympic Games 2008 and 2012, the IOC had placed this sport under surveillance, asking the IWF to provide proposals in order to fight against doping. Apparently satisfied with the efforts made, the IOC decided in spring 2019 to confirm the presence of weightlifting at the Paris-2024 Games.

Sport

Doping: White knight or puppet of Moscow, who is really Yuri Ganus, the head of the Russian anti-doping agency?

Sport

Doping: Russia officially challenges its suspension (against the opinion of the head of the anti-doping agency)

• doping
• weight lifting
• Olympic Games
• Sport