In a statement released today, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has decided to ban the Russian Weightlifting Federation (RWF) from competing at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The decision comes after the International Olympic Committee’s decision to leave it up to the individual sporting bodies to ban Russian athletes from competing at the Olympics.
The IWF analyzed the IOC’s position on Russia, the McLaren Report, the reanalysis testing findings and other factors in its conclusion to ban the RWF from the upcoming Olympic Games. The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) nominated eight weightlifters to compete at the Olympics. Two athletes, Tatiana Kashirina and Anastasiia Romanova, had their nominations withdrawn by the ROC as a result of prior anti-doping violations.
Four other athletes who were nominated were identified in the McLaren Report as being part of the Disappearing Positive Methodology System. The IWF stated, “The integrity of the weightlifting sport has been seriously damaged on multiple times and levels by the Russians, therefore an appropriate sanction was applied in order to preserve the status of the sport.”
With the eight quotas allocated to Russia removed, the following countries are the beneficiaries of the available quotas:
- Albania (W)
- Belgium (M)
- Croatia (M)
- El Salvador (M)
- Georgia (W)
- Maldova (W)
- Mongolia (M)
- Serbia (M)
