Kazakh weightlifter Rahimov banned for eight years, stripped of Rio gold

2016 Rio Olympics – Weightlifting – Victory Ceremony – Males’s 77kg Victory Ceremony – Riocentro – Pavilion 2 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – 10/08/2016. Nijat Rahimov (KAZ) of Kazakhstan poses together with his gold medal. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov

March 22 (Reuters) – Kazakh weightlifter Nijat Rahimov, who received gold within the 77kg on the 2016 Rio Olympics, has been banned from the game for eight years for a doping offence and can be stripped of his medal, the Court docket of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) mentioned on Tuesday.

Rahimov, 28, was discovered responsible of 4 urine substitutions, which quantities to the “Use of a Prohibited Technique” underneath Worldwide Weightlifting Federation’s anti-doping guidelines.

“In January 2021, additional to a WADA (World Anti-Doping Company) investigation (“Operation Arrow”) into irregularities in pattern assortment within the sport of weightlifting, the Worldwide Testing Company (ITA), served a Discover of Cost on Nijat Rahimov,” CAS mentioned in an announcement.

“The Sole Arbitrator discovered Nihat Rahimov to be answerable for 4 urine substitutions which represent ADRVs (Anti-Doping Rule Violations) of “Use of a Prohibited Technique” underneath Article 2.2 of the IWF Anti-Doping Guidelines.

“The Sole Arbitrator decided that the suitable sanction can be an eight-year interval of ineligibility and the disqualification of all aggressive outcomes from 15 March 2016.”

Rahimov, who additionally received gold on the world championships in 2015, was beforehand banned for 2 years in June 2013 after testing constructive for anabolic steroids.

Reporting by Dhruv Munjal in Bengaluru; Enhancing by Ken Ferris

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