UNSPECIFIED NUMBER OF POSITIVE DOPING TESTS AT EUROPEANS, IWF SAYS

International Herald Tribune, France
The Associated Press
Published: September 13, 2006

BUDAPEST, Hungary There were an unspecified number of positive
doping tests at the European weightlifting championships, the sport’s
governing body said Wednesday.

The International Weightlifting Federation recently received the
results of the doping tests from the laboratory in Cologne, Germany,
and was still in the process of dealing with the testing of "B"
samples and other appeals, IWF secretariat Monika Ungar said.

"I can confirm there were a number of positive tests and we expect
to have the names and other information available within weeks,"
Ungar said.

Ungar was speaking after French sports daily L’Equipe reported that
Ninel Miculescu of Romania and Nizami Pashayev of Azerbaijan tested
positive at the competition in May in Wladislawowo, Poland, and were
banned by the IWF for two years. Miculescu won the silver medal in
the 69-kilogram category, while Pashayev won gold at 94 kg.

L’Equipe said 10 others also tested positive, including Henadzi
Aliashchuk of Belarus and Ashot Danielyan of Armenia, who has tested
positive in the past and risk being banned for life.

The other eight were identified as Alexandru Brantan of Moldova,
Natig Hasanov of Azerbaijan, Oleksi Kolokoltsev of Ukraine, Vladimir
Smorchov of Russia, Florin Veliciu of Romania, Dmitry Voronin of
Russia, Dovile Blazunaite of Lithuania and Valentina Popova of Russia.

BUDAPEST, Hungary There were an unspecified number of positive
doping tests at the European weightlifting championships, the sport’s
governing body said Wednesday.

The International Weightlifting Federation recently received the
results of the doping tests from the laboratory in Cologne, Germany,
and was still in the process of dealing with the testing of "B"
samples and other appeals, IWF secretariat Monika Ungar said.

"I can confirm there were a number of positive tests and we expect
to have the names and other information available within weeks,"
Ungar said.

Ungar was speaking after French sports daily L’Equipe reported that
Ninel Miculescu of Romania and Nizami Pashayev of Azerbaijan tested
positive at the competition in May in Wladislawowo, Poland, and were
banned by the IWF for two years. Miculescu won the silver medal in
the 69-kilogram category, while Pashayev won gold at 94 kg.

L’Equipe said 10 others also tested positive, including Henadzi
Aliashchuk of Belarus and Ashot Danielyan of Armenia, who has tested
positive in the past and risk being banned for life.

The other eight were identified as Alexandru Brantan of Moldova,
Natig Hasanov of Azerbaijan, Oleksi Kolokoltsev of Ukraine, Vladimir
Smorchov of Russia, Florin Veliciu of Romania, Dmitry Voronin of
Russia, Dovile Blazunaite of Lithuania and Valentina Popova of Russia.

BUDAPEST, Hungary There were an unspecified number of positive
doping tests at the European weightlifting championships, the sport’s
governing body said Wednesday.

The International Weightlifting Federation recently received the
results of the doping tests from the laboratory in Cologne, Germany,
and was still in the process of dealing with the testing of "B"
samples and other appeals, IWF secretariat Monika Ungar said.

"I can confirm there were a number of positive tests and we expect
to have the names and other information available within weeks,"
Ungar said.

Ungar was speaking after French sports daily L’Equipe reported that
Ninel Miculescu of Romania and Nizami Pashayev of Azerbaijan tested
positive at the competition in May in Wladislawowo, Poland, and were
banned by the IWF for two years. Miculescu won the silver medal in
the 69-kilogram category, while Pashayev won gold at 94 kg.

L’Equipe said 10 others also tested positive, including Henadzi
Aliashchuk of Belarus and Ashot Danielyan of Armenia, who has tested
positive in the past and risk being banned for life.

The other eight were identified as Alexandru Brantan of Moldova,
Natig Hasanov of Azerbaijan, Oleksi Kolokoltsev of Ukraine, Vladimir
Smorchov of Russia, Florin Veliciu of Romania, Dmitry Voronin of
Russia, Dovile Blazunaite of Lithuania and Valentina Popova of Russia.