LAUSANNE, Switzerland—Romania has been banned from competing in weightlifting at the Tokyo Olympics over past doping cases, the International Weightlifting Federation ruled in a decision published on Thursday.
The Romanian Weightlifting Federation was issued a one-year ban from competition over five doping cases. Those included disqualifications for all four of Romania’s weightlifters from the 2012 Olympics after various banned substances were found in later retesting of their samples.
One of those athletes, Gabriel Sincraian, also lost a medal from the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro for another failed drug test.
Romania becomes the fourth country barred from the Tokyo weightlifting competition after Egypt, Malaysia and Thailand, which were also excluded over doping-related issues. Another 15 countries can send only a limited number of athletes to Tokyo over past doping, including major powers Russia, Iran and Turkey.
The IWF ruling allows for Romania’s suspension to be lifted four months early on February 15 if the Romanian federation pays a fine of $50,000 and no more of its athletes or staff break anti-doping rules before then.
European weightlifting champion Dmytro Chumak, meanwhile, has been provisionally suspended over allegations he tried to bribe his way out of a doping test in the run-up to the Tokyo Olympics, the International Testing Agency said Saturday.
The Ukrainian weightlifter was considered a medal contender for the Tokyo games after he won the European title in the 109-kilogram category in April. That was his third career continental gold medal.
The ITA, which handles drug testing for the International Weightlifting Federation, alleged that Chumak was asked for a drug testing sample on May 6 and “refused to provide a sample, attempted to evade and bribe the Doping Control Officers that were conducting the testing mission.”
Chumak has been suspended until he faces a hearing on charges of using or attempting to use a banned substance, tampering with the anti-doping process and refusing to give a sample. His coach Mykhailo Matsokha is also suspended over the incident.
Weightlifting has battled widespread steroid use for decades and has seen dozens of leading athletes suspended for doping offenses at the Olympics and other major events.