Romanian Weightlifters Disqualified

S Y D N E Y, Australia, Sept. 17, 2000 -- Romania’s National OlympicCommittee said today it would pay the InternationalWeightlifting Federation a $50,000 fine to keep itsweightlifters at the Sydney Games despite a ban for dopingoffenses.

It issued a statement after the IWF announced that all sixRomanian weightlifters would be kicked out following positivepositive drugs tests on two of them on the eve of the Games.

That decision was in line with IWF rules that a nationalfederation will be suspended from international competition for12 months if three of its members test positive within acalendar year. The third tested positive earlier this year.

“We have asked the Romanian team to withdraw. The ban isimmediate and the team will take no further part in the Games,”IWF General-Secretary Tamas Ajan said.

Romanian weightlifters Traian Ciharean and Andrei Mateiaswere expelled on Friday after failing dope tests, while a thirdman, Razvan Ilie, tested positive in May.

Want Them to ‘Stay Away’

But the Romanians said they would take advantage of IWFprovisions for payment of a $50,000 fine to escape the blanketsuspension so that the four “clean” weightlifters — three menand one woman — could still compete.

IWF General-Secretary Tamas Ajan confirmed that IWF rulesallowed for payment of a fine of around $50,000 by a nationalfederation to avoid suspension. But he added: “We would be veryhappy if the Romanians did not pay and stayed away.”

The statement said the Romanian Olympic committee had toldthe International Olympic Committee, the IWF and Gamesorganizers SOCOG of their “decision to pay on behalf of theRomanian weightlifting federation the amount of $50,000.”

“The Romanian National Olympic Committee believes that theRomanian weightlifters tested in Sydney and declared negativeat the out-of-competition testing … should be offered thepossibility to compete,” the statement said.

It said the Romanians had also requested analysis of the“B” sample of the urine tests undertaken last Friday.

They face a lifetime ban from the Romanian Olympic team ifthe tests on their “B” samples are also positive.

Entire Team Disqualified

Ciharean, bronze medallist at the 1992 Olympics, andheavyweight lifter Mateias both tested positive for theanabolic steroid methandienone.

Ilie, 1999 world snatch champion in the 77 kg class, alsotested positive for methandienone four months ago and wasbanned for life from Olympic competition.

The other members of the Romanian team are MarioaraMunteanu, who was due to compete in the women’s 53 kg event,Valeriu Calancea (men’s 85 kg) and Florin Vlad (men’s 105 kg).Another Romanian, Adrian Jigau, competed in the men’s 56 kg onSaturday.

Ajan said any fine paid would be used to combat doping. Hesaid it would represent about 10 percent of the amount whichthe IWF spends on the fight against doping each year.

Three Taiwanese weightlifters have also tested positivethis year but Ajan said their case was different and they wouldnot be subject to a year’s ban.

He said this was because two of those who failed dopetests, women weightlifters Chen-Jui-lien and Wu Mei-yi, hadbeen tested by their national association only.