Eight weightlifting coaches handed two-year suspension by IWF

The Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has decided to impose a two-year ban on the coaches of all those weightlifters who tested positive for banned substances across different championships in the last few months.

The Federation has also imposed a year-long ban on four states -- Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Manipur -- for returning the highest number of dope cases of late.

As many as 26 lifters have tested positive, both out-of-competition and in-competition, since the beginning of this year. But the maximum numbers of offenders were caught at the National Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships that were held in Yamunanagar in January.

"Yes, IWF has suspended eight coaches for a two-year period, while as decided earlier, the Federation has imposed one-year ban on the states," IWF secretary general Sahdev Yadav said.

Yadav, however, clarified that the period of suspension to be given to the weightlifters would be decided only by the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA).

"NADA will decide on the period of ban on the lifters," confirmed Yadav.

According to the policy of IWF, the suspended states will have to pay a fine of Rs 1.50 lakh, while on the behalf of the lifters, a particular state would have to pay an additional Rs. 50,000.

In case a state fails to pay the fine, its lifters would not be able to take participate in any competition for the next one year.

However, the coaches will have to serve their entire ban period and no relief would be provided to them. The coaches would not have to pay any fine.

As for the lifters, they would have to complete whatever ban period the NADA would ask them to serve, apart from paying Rs. 50,000 as fine to the Federation.

While three coaches from Delhi -- Ravi Kumar, S K Bakshi, Virendra Kumar -- are handed the two-year suspension, two are from Manipur, one each from Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Odisha.

Apart from National Youth and Junior Championships, weightlifters were caught in various other competitions at Universities, Police Games, Railways, etc.

During the National Youth and Junior Championships, four lifters from Delhi, three from Punjab and two each from Haryana and Manipur had tested positive.

Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty Images