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Bulgarian weightlifters rocked by new drugs scandal
ATTENTION - ADDS Ivanov denial, background, corrects spelling lifter Izabela Dragneva and weight category for lifter Ivanov sted as sent /// SYDNEY, Sept 21 (AFP) - Two Bulgarian Olympic Games weightlifters have failed drugs tests, sources close to the Bulgarian team said Thursday. The two weightlifters have both tested positive for a banned diuretic, the sources said. Bulgarian National Olympic Committee officials were not available to comment, and have ordered switchboard operators not to direct calls to their office at the Olympic Village. International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) officials also were not taking calls. The International Olympic Committee said a statement would be made on Friday morning. The positive tests come after 56kg weightlifting silver medallist Ivan Ivanov of Bulgaria was stripped of his medal on Wednesday after testing positive for a diuretic. Bulgaria won two other medals in the opening two days of the weightlifting competition, a gold for Izabela Dragneva in the women's 48kg competition and bronze for Sevdalin Minchev Angelov in the men's 62kg. Romania weightlifters Traian Ciharean and Adrian Mateas were kicked out of the Sydney Olympics on September 15 after testing positive for steroids. Ivanov told reporters on Thursday that he was not stupid enough to take banned drugs ahead of competition. "I am not an idiot or suicidal," said Ivanov, a former gold medallist and four time world champion. "To take a drug like this before competition is like seeing a policeman when driving a car, stopping the car, drinking a bottle of whisky in front of him and then asking to be tested." The drug positive on Ivanov further rocked the IWF who were sent reeling by the pre-Games dope scandal surrounding Ciharean and Mateas. "He must have been smelling too many smelling salts or got too much chalk in his brain," said Sam Coffa, vice president of the IWF, referring to Ivanov. "His positive was nothing short of a disaster for the sport.
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