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Two Bulgarian weightlifters stripped of medals for doping: IOC
ATTENTION - ADDS Carrard quotes /// SYDNEY, Sept 22 (AFP) - Two Bulgarian weightlifters have been stripped of their Olympic gold and bronze medals and thrown out of the Games after failing drugs tests, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Friday. IOC director general Francois Carrard said women's 48kg gold medallist Izabela Dragneva and men's 62kg bronze medallist Sevdalin Minchev would both be disqualified. They were both found to have traces of banned diuretics in drug tests taken after competing earlier this week. "Izabela Dragneva has been disqualfied and excluded from the Games for using prohibited substances," he told a news conference. "The Bulgarian Olympic Committee has been ordered to return the gold medal. Sevdalin Minchev has also been disqualified and excluded for using prohibited substances." It is the first year women's weightlifting has been an Olympic sport and Dragneva was the first gold medallist. Carrrad said IOC vice-president Dick Pound would conduct new medal ceremonies in the athletes village later Friday. It is the third positive test for Bulagrian weightlifters in Sydney, meaning the team will either have to pay a 50,000 US dollar fine to remain at the Olympics or withdraw its team. Carrard said he did not know Bulgaria's plans. "I have no information on whether the entire Bulgarian team has left," he said. "But I don't see any reason why clean athletes should be punished for the offences of cheats." Under IWF rules, a country is automatically banned from competition if three or more athletes test positive in a calendar year, although there is an option to pay the fine. The Romanian weightlifting team paid the fine earlier this week after three positive tests although Bulgaria opted to withdraw from the 1988 Olympics in Seoul after two of its gold medallists tested positive for diuretics. Carrard was coy on the future of weightlifting as an Olympic sport, but said there would be high level talks when the Games are over. "Weightlifting did have problems. It has made strong efforts to catch cheats," he said. "After the Games we will have to discuss the situation with them." He said 760 in-competition tests had so far been conducted in addition to 227 out-of-competition blood tests and 323 urine tests but he was not aware of any other suspicious results. Diuretics help to eliminate fluid from the body and are used by competitors to lose weight quickly in sports with weight categories. They can also increase the rate at which urine is produced and eliminated to make it more difficult to detect banned substances.
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