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Friday, March 29, 2024

Weightlifting could lose spot in Olympics says IOC's Bach

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Weightlifting could lose spot in Olympics says IOC's Bach
Weightlifting could lose spot in Olympics says IOC's Bach
Bach says weightlifting could lose it's Olympic place

VIDEO SHOWS: IOC PRESIDENT THOMAS BACH SPEAKING ABOUT WEIGHTLIFTING IN A VIRTUAL NEWS CONFERENCE SHOWS: LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND (JUNE 10, 2020) (IOC VNR - NO RESALES.

EDITORIAL USE ONLY) 1.

IOC PRESIDENT THOMAS BACH AT PRESS CONFERENCE 2.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) IOC PRESIDENT THOMAS BACH SAYING: "We are deeply concerned and shocked by this report and the scope of these activities being reflected in this report on the different fields with regard to anti-doping and with regard to governance." 3.

BACH AT PRESS CONFERENCE 4.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) IOC PRESIDENT THOMAS BACH SAYING: "We also have made it very clear that depending on the results of the findings of the IWF oversight commission, that we reserve the right for very far-reaching measures including but not limited to the question of weightlifting being on the programme of the Olympic Games." 5.

BACH AT PRESS CONFERENCE 6.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) IOC PRESIDENT THOMAS BACH SAYING: "What we can say already now is that we will fully support the new leadership of weightlifting federation and the acting president in her efforts to reform the governance of the federation, and also in her efforts to make the anti-doping system fully independent from the federation.

There the major steps have already been done." 7.

BACH AT PRESS CONFERENCE 8.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) IOC PRESIDENT THOMAS BACH SAYING: "What we have made clear already today and from the outset, and again the acting IWF president knows about this, that the IOC will not grant an accreditation, an Olympic accreditation, to any IWF official implicated following the results of the IWF inquiry.

And such officials would also not be accepted by the IOC around the table in the preparation meetings for Tokyo 2020." 9.

BACH AT PRESS CONFERENCE STORY: Weightlifting could lose its place in future Olympic Games if ongoing investigations into the sports' international federation (IWF) reveal more corruption, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday (June 10).

An independent report last week said the IWF was plagued by decades of corruption orchestrated by autocratic former president Tamas Ajan.

This included vote buying, doping cover-ups and $10.4 million in cash that cannot be accounted for.

Ajan has denied any wrongdoing.

"We are deeply concerned and shocked by this report and the scope of these activities being reflected in this report on the different fields with regard to anti-doping and with regard to governance," IOC President Thomas Bach said in a virtual news conference.

"We also have made it very clear that depending on the results of the findings of the IWF oversight commission, that we reserve the right for very far-reaching measures including but not limited to the question of weightlifting being on the programme of the Olympic Games," he said.

The 81-year-old Hungarian Ajan, a former IOC member himself, had been at the IWF since the mid 70s, serving first as secretary general and then as president from 2000 until his resignation in April.

The 121-page report last week was both scathing and meticulous in detailing the massive scale of corruption within the IWF while it was ruled by Ajan, who used "the tyranny of cash" as his main control mechanism.

The investigation found the primary sources of this cash were doping fines paid personally to Ajan and cash withdrawals of large amounts from the IWF's accounts.

"What we can say already now is that we will fully support the new leadership of weightlifting federation and the acting president in her efforts to reform the governance of the federation, and also in her efforts to make the anti-doping system fully independent from the federation.

There the major steps have already been done." Bach added that the IOC would also not grant any accreditation for the Tokyo Olympics next year to any IWF official implicated by the ongoing inquiry.

"Such officials would not be accepted by the IOC around the table in the preparation meetings for Tokyo," Bach said.

(Production: Andy Ragg)

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