Doping: Indian weightlifters suspended

ISLAMABAD: More than 10 weightlifters, including a 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, have been called back from the Indian national camp and were provisionally banned after testing positive in dope tests after having used performance-enhancing drugs.

Indian newspaper reported the lifters had been asked to leave the camp and had been barred from May 21 selection trials for the Commonwealth Championships, which are being held at Apia in Samoa from July 9 to 14.

The lifters involved have provisionally been suspended and if proven guilty, will be banned for four years. The Commonwealth Championships are part of a pathway to the World Championships in Pattaya, Thailand from September 16 to 25, which offers ranking points to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games.

The number of positive drug cases in India is expected to rise as the analysis of some samples – collected during the Indian National Championships at Visakhapatnam from February 21 to 28 – is still pending.