The IWF just announced that after initially not finding positives at the 2018 worlds they worked together with the Cologne anti-doping laboratory to do further analysis on “target athletes’” samples using “the most sophisticated available technique: Gas Chromatography-Combustion-Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS).”
The Result: Olympic & World Champions got popped.
- Srisurat Sukanya (55kg, Gold at Worlds, Olympic Champion Rio, it would be her second ban after 2011) – exogenous Testosterone (T) Adiols (5aAdiol and/or 5bAdiol) (via)
- Sopita Tanasan (49kg, Snatch Gold at Worlds, Olympic Champion Rio) -exogenous Testosterone (T) and at least one of the Adiols (5aAdiol and/or 5bAdiol) (via)
- Thunya Sukcharoen (45kg, Gold at Worlds) for at least one of the Adiols (5aAdiol and/or 5bAdiol) (S1.1 Anabolic agents) (via)
- Chitchanok Pulsabsakul (+87, 6th at Worlds) exogenous 5a-androstane-3a,17b-diol (5aAdiol) and 5b-androstane-3a,17b-diol (5bAdiol) (S1.1 Anabolic agents)(via).
This follows 2 positives announced in December 2018 (Teerapat Chomchuen and Duangaksorn Chaidee) which, if confirmed, would already cause Thailand to lose Olympic Qualification spots.
Also, remember that any nation with three or more positives within a calendar year can receive a country ban. So if all these new cases are confirmed Thailand is facing a potential country ban.
Update 08.02.2019: 2 MORE Thai lifters tested positive (along with 2 Vietnamese lifters).
- Chayuttra Pramongkhol (49kg Gold at worlds) has returned an Adverse Analytical Finding for exogenous Testosterone and at least one of the Adiols (5aAdiol and/or 5bAdiol) (via)
- Wamalun Rattanawan (64kg, Bronze at Worlds) has returned an Adverse Analytical Finding for exogenous 5a-androstane-3a,17b-diol (5aAdiol) and 5b-androstane-3a,17b-diol (5bAdiol) (via)
So we are at a grand total of 8 positives.
Update 12.02.2019: The IWF posted what are either new positives or updates to the existing “adverse analytical findings (AAF)” of Sopita Tanasan and Teerapat Chomchuen.
For Sopita the first AAF just mentioned “Testosterone and at least one of the Adiols”. The new disclosure mentions: “exogenous Etiocholanolone and 5βAdiol (S1.1 Anabolic agents), Androsterone and 5βAdiol (S1.1 Anabolic agents).”
Update 23.02.2019: The last positives were indeed new cases from out of competition tests.
Obvious Questions:
What does this mean for worlds 2019, which are set to be in Thailand?
This is a similar situation to Europeans 2018 which were set to be in Turkey, but when they received a country ban, everything had to be relocated.
Update 07.03.2019: After the IWF congress in Las Vegas worlds will stay in Thailand! (via IWF)
Thailand voluntarily withdrew, from worlds and any Olympic qualifier events. Thus they are not banned, which allows them to still host worlds.
Thai Amateur Weightlifting Association (TAWA) undertakes not to participate at any IWF events, including the Qualification Events and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
TAWA still continues to fulfill its obligation and will deliver the organization of the 2019 IWF World Championships despite the fact that no Thai athletes will be entitled to participate.
Who is a “targeted athlete” and subject to harsher retests?
Who still thinks that weightlifting will be in the Olympics in the future?
I guess everyone was having doubts about the Thailand athletes last year. So this is not that surprising to me at least. But surely it is another blow to the sport, probably at the most inconvenient time. Is Thailand’s coach from Bulgaria or something?
Thailand never had a Bulgarian coach, the drugs of choice also aren’t typical. It’s independent but equally not clean.
i always wonder, why are weighlifter caught more often than other sports ?
do they cheat more, is the focus more on this particular sport, are they worse at cheating than sprinters (for example) ?
The popular steroids (winstrol, dianabol, turinabol) are very old and nowadays easier to detect. Their usage is driven by tradition in countries/systems influenced by the Soviets and Bulgarians.
Track and field is more global and thus not so narrow with drugs of choice. But the above stuff is also popular with Russian/Belarusian/etc. non-WL athletes.
They do not cheat more, its because
Other organizations hide doping cases, i just bet that if Ben Johnsson was tested by IAAF instead of IOC in Seoul, we would have nerver seen that doping case.
Statistics; we have very high test rates, hence more positives due to so many tests.
I personaly think like this: test all top 10 in all weight catogorys on EC, WC, OG. No retests and test suspended lifters during the suspension. And skip the ridicilous whereabouts system.
It’s easier to get TUE in other sports. E.g. many Norwegian skiers/biathletes claim to be asthmatics and are allowed to use drugs that help them to get through the distance easier. Lots of American athletes claim to have ADHD, and they get drugs that help them to concentrate better; etc. I doubt you can get TUE for dianabol or similar.
“Lots of American athletes claim to have ADHD, and they get drugs that help them to concentrate better”. This true. I believe Justin Gatlin is one of them.
What does this mean for worlds 2019, which are set to be in Thailand?
I suggest have the championship in Germany or close to the lab.
Who still thinks that weightlifting will be in the Olympics in the future?
It will be in 2024 and 2028 for sure because of young USA lifters.
Let’s hope the sport stays in the Olympics. What a shame it would be for it to be removed.
I think human nature has ruined the sport. Obviously the drug use has been entrenched for half a century at least. The drugs allow the athletes endure the training not just to do well at competitions. It’s not a minor aid, the training would be impossible without the PED’s. It’s the same with the NFL. I watch the sport to see the technique. It shouldn’t be taken seriously as a clean sport (the same as sprinting, NFL, sprint-cycling etc.).
A very accurate summary, Simon.
What a shame, the next country with a massive problem and the clean ones suffer from it.
Although i want to see countries punished for cheating i think that a country ban is unfair to potential clean thai athletes. As the qualification system for Olympia is now personal and without spots for countries there should be no country ban for positive results.
8 Positive Doping Tests (from Thai Lifters) for last time !!! I think, that World Weightlifting Championship-2019 must be held in another Country (Possible in North Korea, in North Korean “Pyongyang”, Or in China, in “Beijing” or in “Fuzhou”). They ( “North Korea” or “China”) Deserved the “World Weightlifting Championship” ( as Hosts) in their countries !!!!
IWF is finding positive doping test in China, Kaza, Russia, Thai, Belarus, Ukraine, that means every powerhouse of Weightlifting, so I think it is nonsense to relation bulgarian coachs, or the Bulgarian system with usage of drugs.
This is not official. Please do not quote this until Gregor finds out.
I hear Iran has only two slots available in 2020 Olympics due to doping. Is it true?
On the not so serious news:
Lidia Valentin (ESP) is the lifter of the year in 2019 according to IWF. She lifted less than 64, 71, and 76 kg champions in the Worlds.
If that is true, maybe only Moradi and Alihosseini from Iran in Tokyo then?
“Lifter of the year” was an open vote via the website, if I am not mistaken. So it is more of a popularity contest than a quality contest. Dei Weng does it for me.
Yeah. Quite flawed voting if you ask me. I mean, how do you not have Shi Zhiyong on the list??? He broke all WRs there were to be broken in the new category while skipping his 3rd cnj. That’s why I ignored the voting altogether although may have voted for the female in the hindsight now that I think of it.
Unfortunately, Moradi might not even be able to go to Tokyo, given that he is about to undergo spinal surgery and will surely miss quite a lot of qualifying opportunities.