Fresh IWF elections soon: IOA

New Delhi: The Indian Olympic Association said fresh elections will be held to reconstitute the Indian Weightlifting Federation, officials of which resigned en masse after six lifters flunked dope tests.

"The Indian Weightlifting Federation has requested the Indian Olympic Association to take appropriate action and fresh elections will be held soon," IOA President Suresh Kalmadi said in a statement. Under intense pressure from Sports Minister MS Gill and the IOA following a series of dope flunks by country`s lifters, entire executive committee of the Indian Weightlifting Federation resigned during its emergency meeting.The International Weightlifting Federation will decide on India`s fate in its Executive Board meeting in Korea tomorrow after six lifters returned positive for banned substances in out-of-competition tests. Under international rules, a national body may be handed a maximum of four-year ban with fines if three or more lifters return positive for banned substances in a calendar year.If a ban of more than a year is imposed, India will have to face the ignominy of being barred from fielding its lifters in the October 3-14, 2010 Commonwealth Games. Kalmadi said the IOA had set up a fact-finding committee soon after the doping scandals started coming out. Bureau Report