Myanmar weightlifter Kyi Kyi Than failed a doping test and has been kicked out of the Asian Games, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) announced yesterday, but denied the sport should be dumped.
Than, who finished fourth in the women's 48kg category, tested positive for the banned diuretic furosemide.
It is the first positive result of the Games from 630 tests related to the event conducted so far.
"The OCA wishes to announce that it has disqualified an athlete for anti-doping rule violations," OCA director-general Husain al-Musallem told a press conference.
"The athlete was Kyi Kyi Than from Myanmar in weightlifting in the 48kg category. She placed fourth," al-Musallem said.
Than failed the dope test on Dec. 2 and waived her right to have her B sample tested.
She faces further investigation by the International Weightlifting Federation governing authority.
Al-Musallem said he knew of no other positive tests up till yesterday.
"There are none to my knowledge. This is the only confirmed case so far," he said, adding that despite another positive drug test the OCA had no plans to dump the weightlifting from the Asian Games.
"Weightlifting is on the Asian Games and Olympic Games program and if there is an individual act, we cannot punish all athletes worldwide based on an individual act," he said.
"We disqualified the athlete here. The rest is up to the International Weightlifting Federation, but the Asian Games will not kick out the sport of weightlifting," he added.
Weightlifting, along with bodybuilding and wrestling, have chequered doping histories.
In particular, weightlifting has been hit hard by scandals this year, with the entire Indian team slapped with a 12-month ban from competition for doping offences.
The ban is effective until March next year after two male lifters, Edwin Raju and Tejinder Singh, tested positive during the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in March.
Two women, Prameelavalli Bodari and Shailaja Pujari, failed pre-Games tests and were banned by India from traveling with the team.
All four were banned for life by the Indian weightlifting federation.
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