Two lifters fail dope tests in continental club meet

New Delhi: The dope menace returned to haunt India with two weightlifters being tested positive for banned

substance in the Continental Clubs Grand Prix at Penang in Malaysia in December last year. Sukhen Dey and and Anupdeo Toppo, who had won gold and silver in the 56kg and 77kg categories respectively in the December 11-16 event, were tested poistive for stimulant methylhexaneamine. Indian Weightlifting Federation Secretary General Sahdev Yadav told PTI that the A samples of the two lifters were tested positive but the international parent body has not informed it of the B sample results. "We have not got the results of the B sample tests," said Sahdev who had just returned from Tashkent after the Asian Weightlifting Federation Congress. The Continental Clubs Grand Prix was introduced last year by the International Weightlifting Federation to promote the sport to a wider audience. Dey, who had become the first Indian junior lifter to win a medal in a World Championships by bagging a bronze in 56kg in Romania, represented Services in Penang while Anupdeo took part for Universal Club, according to international federation website. Sahdev said the IWF had not given sanction to Services to take part in the event and the dope results would not count against the name of the national federation. He also said if at all the two violations are to be counted against the IWF, they will be deemed to have been committed last year and not this year and there was no chance of India being banned by the international federation if another lifter tests positive in 2011. Officials who are familiar with the rules, however, said that the dope results will be counted against the IWF since the two lifters are registered with the national federation and they were taking part in an International Weightlifting Federation sanctioned event. They also said that the dope result would be counted as violation for last year and not for this year, and so there is no danger of Indian being banned if a third lifter tests positive this year. Meanwhile, IWF president Birendra Prasad Baishya has been made a board member of the Asian Weightlifting Fedetaion in the AWF Congress which concluded in Tashkent on Wednesday. Mohamed Yousef Al Mana of Qatar has been elected AWF president and Ali Moradi of Iran as General Secretary. PTI