Weightlifters withdrawn from Olympics after failed drug tests

[rooster59]

Weightlifters withdrawn from Olympics after failed drug tests

By Lerpong Amsa-ngiam 
The Nation Weekend

 

Sukanya Srisurat

 

Thailand’s biggest gold-medal sport won’t be entered in Tokyo

 

Sopita Tanasan 

 

The Thailand Amateur Weightlifting Association (Tawa) has decided not to send anyone to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after eight Thai competitors, including the Kingdom’s only two reigning Olympic champions, tested positive for drugs at last year’s World Championships.

 

The decision has been met with dismay by the Sports Authority of Thailand.

 

Among those who returned positive A samples in Turkmenistan last November and again in extra tests in Cologne, Germany, were reigning Olympic gold medallists from Rio 2016, Sopita Tanasan (48kg) and Sukanya Srisurat (58kg).

 

Tawa released a statement on Friday, saying they had been working closely with the Doping Control Agency of Thailand under the auspices of the National Doping Control Centre and had never found anything wrong with their own athletes’ tests.

 

In order to take responsibility, however, the sport’s ruling body announced it would not field any weightlifters in international competitions, including the World Championships in Pattaya, in September, until the case is resolved. 

 

Tawa’s action has been taken before results of B samples, which will be revealed later this year by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF). According to IWF rules, any nation having three or more athletes with confired positive tests in a calendar year faces a ban of up to four years.

 

Nevertheless Tawa has taken preemptive action, confirming it will not send anyone to Tokyo 2020 or to any of its qualifying tournaments.

 

It made clear, however, that it still intends to host the World Championships from September 18 to 27.

 

The decision to withdraw the weightlifting team from Tokyo will cause a huge impact on Thailand’s performance in the quadrennial sport extravaganza. Weightlifting has always offered among the country’s best prospects of gold medals, having yielded five out of Thailand’s nine Olympic champions since it first took part in the Helsinki Games in 1952.

 

In the 2016 Rio Games, Sopita and Sukunya were the only two Thais to bring home gold medals.

 

Sports Authority of Thailand deputy governor Nattavuth Ruengves urged Tawa to discuss the issue with the Olympic Committee of Thailand immediately to find a solution because he thought it unfair for all weightlifters to be barred from the chance to compete at the Olympics.

 

“Weightlifting offers our biggest chance of medals. The Sports Authority of Thailand is willing to help if we can raise a petition to the IWF,” Nattavuth said.

 

The Thai Olympic team’s Chef de Mission, Thana Chaiprasit, believes, however, that Tawa’s decision is final and he urged all sports associations to warn their athletes to be extra-careful with any supplementary products and medicines they take.

 

“It’s very unfortunate that Thailand’s medal chances in 2020 Olympics will be affected,” said Thana. “From now on athletes must take doctor’s advice first before using any medicines or supplements.”

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/sports/30365430

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-03-09

[Bobobirdiebuddy]

Are the coaches so dumb as to not be aware you cheat, you pay? I blame the coaches and managers far more than the athletes. They need to be publicly named and removed from any further participation in Thai sports.

 

[neeray]

Some people never learn. Can't imagine why any athlete would pour this much effort into their sport and then taking the risk of being named as a cheater.                                                   

[HLover]

22 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Doping Control Agency of Thailand under the auspices of the National Doping Control Centre and had never found anything wrong with their own athletes’ tests.

Do I feign surprise now or later?

[ezzra]

Hey, says the dumb coach, why work so hard when we can juice it up a bit, i'm sure no one will notice right? after all we're Thais...

[NCC1701A]

maybe they should be checking x y chromosomes. do you see what I see?

 

[bendejo]

15 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

maybe they should be checking x y chromosomes. do you see what I see?

 

 

No I don't.  You're the one with the filthy mind, not me. 

 

Recall in the days of the USSR when they would give male bodybuilders sex-change operations?  The Olympics poobahs came up with such tests back then.  But maybe in these times such testing would be considered gender discrimination.

 

 

[sammieuk1]

The hand on crotch test may also prove positive as well????  

[Ulic]

17 hours ago, Bobobirdiebuddy said:

Are the coaches so dumb as to not be aware you cheat, you pay? I blame the coaches and managers far more than the athletes. They need to be publicly named and removed from any further participation in Thai sports.

 

Apparently, you don't know the way things work. The athletes were all named and given a four-year ban. The country would have been banned from the Olympics if they had not withdrawn their participation. Weightlifting is one of the problem sports with all athletes cheating, just some more effective at cheating than others, so it really was a level playing field amongst the lifting elites. The big fat cheaters are the federations that pre-test athletes to make sure they will test negative. (China/Russa, the most well known) Of course, as testing equipment becomes more sophisticated/effective old samples can and will be re-tested. What urine sample tested clean in years past may test positive in the future. I believe samples are now kept for 10 years. With PED's being readily available in Thailand many athletes (especially bodybuilders) come to Thailand to train. Lovely weather, cheap cost of living, readily available and cheap drugs available across the counter.