Weightlifting - Thailand to host World Championships despite voluntary ban

 

FILE PHOTO: 2016 Rio Olympics - Weightlifting - Final - Women's 58kg - Riocentro - Pavilion 2 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 08/08/2016. Sukanya Srisurat (THA) of Thailand competes. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

 

(Reuters) - Thailand has voluntarily banned itself from all weightlifting, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, because of its recent doping record but will still host the 2019 World Championships, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) said on Friday.

 

Six Thai weightlifters tested positive for banned substances at last year's World Championships, two of whom are reigning Olympic champions, while two further doping cases are yet to be resolved since December 2017.

 

Any nation with three or more positives in a calendar year faces a ban of up to four years and the IWF has previously suspended nine countries for repeated doping offences.

 

However, the IWF Executive Board voted to allow Thailand to host the World Championships despite none of their lifters taking part.

 

"TAWA (Thai Amateur Weightlifting Association) still continues to fulfil its obligation and will deliver the organisation of the 2019 IWF World Championships despite the fact that no Thai athletes will be entitled to participate," the IWF said in a statement https://www.iwf.net/2019/03/08/iwf-executive-board-meeting-congress-las-vegas.

 

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) meets on March 26 to discuss progress in cleaning up the sport and the IWF's decision to allow Thailand to host the World Championships is expected to be discussed.

 

Weightlifting is effectively 'on probation' at Tokyo 2020, with the IWF having been told to clean up the sport if it is to be on the 2024 Olympic programme.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-03-08

If they can’t cheat and participate in the event, may as well host the event and cheat everyone who attends.

Thais need to get more sophisticated in cheating at the highest levels. Weightlifting is a very dirty sports. I doubt there is one lifter in the competition that is clean. Lots athletes are training in Thailand because of the availability of kinds of  PEDs over the counter and  they are very cheap. There is this American guy that call himself, The Bodybuilder in Thailand that almost lost his leg due to using some nasty contaminated roids.  It is a nasty dirty world out there.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzte_g2rlGE

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwqSjIX71zo

 

 

 

 

A lifetime ban might bring around a change in attitude.. get caught and you're out for life !

With no competitors in the competition, Thailand will not be embarrassed by any positive tests. On the other hand, they will have to explain to Thais who don't follow the news why there are no Thais in the competition. 

19 hours ago, dcnx said:

If they can’t cheat and participate in the event, may as well host the event and cheat everyone who attends.

They wont cheat everyone, China looks like taking all the gold ( for a price )  

I'm surprised that Thailand has been given the dubious honour of organising this championship.

What's a voluntary ban?

Is that a ban to save face because they've been exposed as cheats ?

Thainess again 

On ‎3‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 7:56 AM, Gandtee said:

I'm surprised that Thailand has been given the dubious honour of organising this championship.

There is nothing strange about Thailand hosting the event.  Thailand is extremely successful in international weightlifting and hosted the World Championships in 1997 and 2007.  

 

Venues for international competitions are determined years in advance.  Thailand was awarded the 2019 World Championships in 2016, shortly after winning four weightlifting medals in the Rio Olympics.  The six Thai weightlifters did not test positive for banned substances until the 2018 World Championships.

 

Since Thailand has placed a voluntary ban on itself, the was no reason for the federation to scramble at the last minute to find another country to host the event.