Egypt weightlifters out of Olympics after doping ban

The Egyptian Weightlifting Federation has lost its appeal against a two-year doping ban, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced on Wednesday.

Published : Dec 04, 2019 22:46 IST , Lausanne

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) hit Egypt with a two-year suspension on September 12.
The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) hit Egypt with a two-year suspension on September 12.
lightbox-info

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) hit Egypt with a two-year suspension on September 12.

The Egyptian Weightlifting Federation has lost its appeal against a two-year doping ban, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced on Wednesday.

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) hit Egypt with a two-year suspension on September 12.

The EWF appealed but on Wednesday CAS issued a statement saying the appeal “has been dismissed.”

The ban meant the country's weightlifters were barred from the world championships in Thailand from September 18 to 27.

The failure of the appeal means Egyptian weightlifters will also be banned from the Tokyo Olympics next year.

The suspension followed seven positive doping tests for young weightlifters in 2016.

Under IWF rules, any federation with at least three positive controls over a one-year period faces a two-year suspension.

Egypt has been a stronghold for weightlifting over the years, winning 11 medals, including five gold, out of a total of 31 medals won in the country's 22 Olympic participations.

Egypt earned two bronze medals at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, thanks to Mohamed Ihab Mahmoud (men's -77kg) and Sara Ahmed (women's -69kg).

Both were medal hopes next summer in Tokyo.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment