Muthu is only male in Asiad weightlifting team

T Muthu will be the sole male weightlifter to represent India at the Busan Asian Games, the government deciding to clear his participation at the last moment.

Muthu, who won a silver and a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games, was given the green signal by the Sports Ministry on Wednesday. He will join women lifters Kunjurani Devi, Pratima Kumari, Shailaja Pujari and Sanamacha Chanu in the weightlifting team.

According to Balbir Singh Bhatia, member of the ad-hoc committee of the Indian Weightlifting Federation, "Only Muthu was cleared to participate in the tournament."

The delay in clearing Muthu is apparently because of the doping scandal at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, where two Indian lifters -- Krishnan Madasamy and Satheesha Rai -- were stripped of their medals after testing positive for banned substances.

The International Weightlifting Federation banned Madasamy and Rai for two years and six months respectively from all international events.

Bhatia said the world body issued the ban after receiving a report from the Commonwealth Games Federation. He added that the world body also imposed a penalty of $1000 each on both the lifters.