Gurdaspur, January 21
The International Weightlifting Federation has come down heavily on Indian weightlifters and has slapped a life ban on a top woman lifter while at the same time it has handed down four year ban terms to five other lifters who were found to be using banned drugs.
With this development the decks have been cleared for the International body to clamp a ban on the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) as six of its lifters have been caught using IOC banned substances in a space of 12 months.
Rules state that if six or more lifters are caught using dope in one year, the International body can slap a ban ranging between one to four years on the respective national federation apart from imposing heavy fines.
A top weightlifting federation official, preferring anonymity, disclosed that India’s participation in the Commonwealth Games stands jeopardised if the international body decides to ban the Indian Weightlifting Federation.
However, he added that keeping in view the Commonwealth Games, the International body has the option of heavily fining the Indian federation in the process waiving off the ban.
The official added that there has been such
precedence when the International body imposed a heavy fine on Iranian federation and a ban was not enforced.
The international body has banned top woman lifter Shailaja Pujari for life as she tested positive twice during the past 12 months follwing tests conducted by the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) testing. The International Federation has already sent an e-mail to its Indian counterpart conveying its decision to ban Indian lifters.
A fine of $5000 has also been imposed on Shailaja Pujari. Rajesh Kumar, Sunita Kumari and Bijaya Devi have been handed over four year bans and a fine of $5000 has also been imposed on each of them. Melbourne Commonwealth Games silver medalist Vicky Batta, who like Shailaja Pujari has tested positive twice in 12 months, has escaped with a 4 year ban and a fine of $5500. Like Pujari, he was in line for a life ban but somehow the lifter has managed to get away with it.
The sixth lifter to have been banned for four year and also fined $5500 is Harbhajan Singh. If Indian lifters are banned from the 2010 Games it will be a big set back as, based on reports prepared by IOA, SAI and various other agencies, after shooting and wrestling Indians were hoping to get the maximum number of medals in the iron sport.
