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Two more Bulgarians suspended Associated Press SYDNEY, Australia -- The future of weightlifting in the Olympics could be under threat after two more Bulgarians were stripped of medals and the entire team was expelled in the latest drug scandal at the Sydney Olympics. The International Olympic Committee on Friday disqualified gold medalist Izabela Dragneva -- the first women's weightlifting champion in Olympic history -- and men's bronze medalist Sevdalin Minchev. The women's gold was awarded later Friday to Tara Nott, of Stilwell, Kan., who became the first American gold medalist in weightlifting in 40 years. The IOC said Dragneva and Minchev tested positive for furosemide, a banned diuretic used by lifters to flush fluids from their system to make the weight. Both were ordered to return the medals and leave the Olympic village. The action came just two days after another Bulgarian lifter, Ivan Ivanov, had his silver medal taken away for testing positive for the same diuretic. "It looks like something of a program that may have been in place," IOC vice president Dick Pound said. A few hours after the IOC expulsions, the International Weightlifting Federation kicked out the entire Bulgarian team from the games and suspended the national body for 12 months. "They have brought the sport of weightlifting into worthless repute," IWF vice president Sam Coffa said. Under the IWF's "three-strikes-and-out" rule, a national team risks a yearlong ban in the event of three positive cases in 12 months. Teams can pay a $50,000 fine to waive the ban, but the IWF said it didn't even consider taking the Bulgarians' money. "We don't want to be able to spend their money," IWF secretary general Tamas Ajan said. "We didn't want to give Bulgaria a chance to pay a fine for punishment. These are the Olympic Games. This is a different atmosphere and it must be treated differently." The expulsions mark a throwback to the 1988 Seoul Olympics, where the entire Bulgarian weightlifting team was withdrawn after two lifters -- Mitko Grubler and Angel Guenchev -- were stripped of gold medals. They also tested positive for furosemide. "When athletes are using this product, they are getting stupid," said Prince Alexandre de Merode, chairman of the IOC medical commission. Dragneva, 28, won the gold medal in the women's 105-pound event, while Minchev, 26, took the bronze in the men's 137-pound class. The sanction means Nott, who finished second in the women's event, gets the gold medal -- the first for an American lifter since Chuck Vinci won the 123-pound title at the Rome Games in 1960. Gennady Oleshchuk of Belarus, who finished fourth in the men's event, was elevated to the bronze. Nott, who was awarded the gold at a special ceremony in the Olympic village, said she was "kind of in shock." "It's good to know that those who cheat are getting caught," she said. "Someday we will have a level playing field, and myself and others will be able to win on the platform rather than after a drug test." Weightlifting has been rocked by a series of positive drug cases in Sydney. Two Romanian weightlifters, Traian Ciharean and Adrian Mateas, were suspended and expelled from the Olympic Village after failing out-of-competition tests. A number of others were caught in pre-games tests. IOC officials said they will re-examine the sport's Olympic status sometime after the Sydney Games. "We'll see what happens," IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch said. "But really, the international federation must do something more." Ajan said he would send a three-member delegation to Bulgaria after the games to press them to clean up their act -- or risk being kicked out of the sport altogether. "If they don't present a very detailed program of how they fight against drugs, there could be a big problem for the Bulgarian federation," he said. Pound said doping was "endemic" in weightlifting, but hoped the sport would survive. "I think they're trying their best, but it's clear they haven't been successful," he said. "It's a great traditional sport. I would hate to see it dropped from the program unless it's clear nobody is going to do anything about the problem." The spate of drug busts at the games reflects a heightened focus on doping in Sydney, which has the most comprehensive drug testing program in sports history. "Every time you catch somebody, it's a statement to other athletes who have doped they should watch out," Pound said. "Each positive test is a success rather than a failure." Added IOC director general Francois Carrard: "Whether there are some athletes who don't want to learn the lessons, they are learning the hard way now." IOC and IWF officials stressed they were convinced the Bulgarian lifters were using diuretics only to make the weight, not to mask the use of any other banned substances. In the overall doping landscape, diuretics are a relatively minor drug. They do not have the performance-enhancing properties of steroids or peptide hormones. The total of four positive tests reported by the IOC so far during the Sydney Games doubles the figure of doping cases at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The highest number of positives, 12, was recorded at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. |  | ALSO SEE Finally: Nott has her golden moment Forget ceremony, it's time to watch friends Teenager Haworth grabs a bronze medal Two more Bulgarian weightlifters kicked out Colombia wins first gold by narrowest of margins Mexico wins rare gold weightlifting medal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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