IWF Executive Board Meets, Makes Key Anti-Doping And Governance Decisions

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Executive Board (EB) today agreed key decisions to restore stronger Anti-Doping Rules and ensure eligibility checks of the candidates for the forthcoming IWF elections are carried out to a high standard.

"Today’s decisions reflect a clear determination to safeguard the progress made by the IWF in recent years to protect clean weightlifters and promote clean weightlifting," said IWF Interim President Dr Michael Irani. "For the first time ever, the IWF is also carrying out comprehensive eligibility verification of candidates for our elections against clearly-defined criteria."

On anti-doping, the EB specifically approved a recommendation of the Independent Testing Agency (ITA) and the newly appointed independent IWF Anti-Doping Commission to restore Article 12 of the IWF Anti-Doping Rules to a threshold whereby three anti-doping rule violations in a single year would trigger suspension proceedings, instead of four.

On governance, the EB accepted a wide-ranging recommendation from the independent IWF Ethics and Discipline Commission (EDC) whereby Sport Resolutions will appoint an independent panel to fulfil the function of the Eligibility Determination Panel, in lieu of the EDC, to carry out the process outlined in the Interim Rules. The Eligibility Determination Panel will ensure that only candidates meeting comprehensive eligibility criteria are able to stand in the forthcoming IWF elections. The Interim Rules, meanwhile, have been subject to external legal review.

"Having made independent guidance a cornerstone of our anti-doping and now our governance efforts, the IWF is lucky to count on an impressive array of leaders in their respective fields for external advice: from anti-doping policy to sports law," continued Dr Irani. "The IWF is grateful for that advice and I am pleased to be able to confirm that we are acting on it."

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