Taiwanese weightlifter Hsu Shu-ching (許淑淨) might be named the 2012 Olympic gold medalist in the women’s 53kg category after the titleholder, Kazakh weightlifter Zulfiya Chinshanlo, failed a drug test.
The International Weightlifting Federation yesterday announced on its official Web site that samples taken from Chinshanlo as well as nine other weightlifters from Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Ukraine competing in the 2012 London Olympics were reanalyzed.
The analysis generated “adverse analytical findings,” the federation said.
Photo: Liao Yu-wei, Taipei Times
The federation also said in a statement that it imposed mandatory provisional suspensions on the athletes for potentially violating anti-doping rules, adding that they would remain suspended until their cases are closed.
The federation said that it would report the standings of the athletes in the 2008 Beijing Olympics after it finishes retesting their samples.
Hsu, who won silver in the 53kg category, is likely to claim the spot of gold medalist if Chinshanlo is disqualified.
The Chinese Taipei Weightlifting Association and the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee said that they have yet to receive an official document from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Nothing can be done until they see the confirmation from the IOC, they said.
“Many athletes tested positive at drug tests, but they filed appeals by arguing that the medications were administered by doctors or taken while they were ill,” Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee secretary-general Shen Yi-ting (沈依婷) said. “It depends on whether the IOC accepts their explanations. So far, we have not received any notification informing us if the opponent has been suspended or [Hsu] is to be given the gold medal.”
Shen said that it might not be long before the IOC issues its final ruling on the athletes, as it would not want any of the suspected athletes to compete at the Rio Olympics in August.
Hsu is going through intensive training for the Rio Olympics and has treated Chinshanlo as one of her rivals, Shen said.
However, she might not have to confront the Kazakh weightlifter if the latter’s cases are not closed by the time the Olympic Games start, Shen added.
The Sports Administration said that the National Honor Prize program rewards Olympic gold medalists with a NT$12 million (US$370,473) prize, adding that silver medalists are rewarded with NT$7 million.
The administration would pay Hsu the additional NT$5 million if it is ascertained that she is the 2012 Olympic gold medalist.
A fourth public debate was held today about restarting the recently decommissioned Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, ahead of a referendum on the controversial issue to be held in less than two weeks. A referendum on Aug. 23 is to ask voters if they agree that “the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant should continue operations upon approval by the competent authority and confirmation that there are no safety concerns.” Anyone over 18 years of age can vote in the referendum. The vote comes just three months after its final reactor shut down, officially making Taiwan nuclear-free. Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) represented
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
‘ANGRY’: Forgetting the humiliations and sacrifices of ‘the people of the Republic of China’ experienced disqualified Lai from being president, Ma Ying-jeou said Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday criticized President William Lai (賴清德) over what he called “phrasing that downplayed Japan’s atrocities” against China during World War II. Ma made the remarks in a post on Facebook on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Ma said he was “angry and disappointed” that Lai described the anniversary as the end of World War II instead of a “victory in the war of resistance” — a reference to the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). The eight-year war was a part of World War II, in which Japan and the other Axis
RSS