The International Olympic Committee has expressed its concerns over “very serious and worrying” new allegations of doping and corruption in international weightlifting – which include claims that girl competitors as young as 13 have been encouraged to take banned drugs. She added that some girls in Thailand started doping when they were as young as 13 to prepare for national competitions. The IOC told the Guardian it had set up an disciplinary investigation “to immediately follow up on the doping confession of Gulnoi and her entourage”. Weightlifting has had doping issues for decades but the issue has become so widespread that the IOC has previously threatened to withdraw its Olympic status. “The IWF is particularly concerned by the revelations concerning what may have been the systematic doping of junior athletes,” it said.

Source: The Guardian January 06, 2020 18:14 UTC