World champion Alexei Lovchev of Russia has been suspended for failing a doping test, the International Weightlifting Federation said on its Web site on Thursday.
The 26-year-old, who is also the 105kg world record holder, was found to have traces of the banned substance Ipamorelin in his “A” sample.
“I think this problem has a political motive,” Lovchev told the All Sport news agency. “All this is very similar to what is happening against Russian sport. I won’t give up. I will take all the necessary anti-doping steps to show I am not guilty and this includes taking a ‘B’ sample.”
A taskforce from the governing body of world athletics is making a first visit to Russia on Jan. 10 and 11 to check on progress toward cleaning up the doping scandal that led to the country’s suspension from the sport last month.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has set out a series of steps that Russia must take to be reinstated before the Rio Olympics in August.
“We have established a good working relationship as the basis of our future discussions and meetings together. I look forward with my fellow members of the IAAF taskforce to visiting Moscow in three weeks’ time,” Rune Andersen, independent chairperson of the taskforce, said in a statement.
The suspension followed a report by an independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency that exposed widespread, systematic state-sponsored doping and related corruption.
Lovchev placed third at the 2013 IWF World Championships in the men’s +105kg category. Last year he competed in the European Championships, where he won gold medals in the snatch, clean and jerk, and total. He also won gold at this year’s IWF World Championships for the snatch, clean and jerk, and total.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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