The Indian Weightlifting Federation, embarrassed by the Athens dope fiasco, has decided to impose stringent and exemplary sanctions on those weightlifters and coaches caught for doping offence in future.
"At the Annual General Body meeting in Mumbai on Sunday, we unanimously decided to have our own stringent sanctions against weightlifters, should they be caught for doping in any international and national competition," IWF President H J Dora told PTI in New Delhi on Monday.
These sanctions would be apart from those slapped by the International Weightlifting Federation, he added.
Dora said any player, who tests positive for banned drugs even once in international events like Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, would be slapped a lifetime ban from the sport.
"The IWF will say goodbye to the player and sever all connections with her/him," he said.
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In the event of any lifter testing positive in a domestic official championship, he would be slapped with a two-year ban and a fine of Rs 5,000.
The Federation would not even spare the organisations and coaches and would take into account the suggestions of the two-member committee set up by the Indian Olympic Association under the chairmanship of K P Singh Deo once its inquiry is complete.
"If, in a calendar year, any player is caught doping twice or more, the association or the institution, the lifter belongs to would also be banned from taking part in championships for one year and fined Rs 1,000."
"We feel that coaches, whose wards are found guilty of doping, must be adequately punished though we have not yet qualified their punishment," he said.
The move by the IWF comes in the wake of two women lifters -- Pratima Kumari and Sanamacha Chanu -- being thrown out of the Olympics for testing positive for testosterone and a diuretic respectively.
The International Weightlifting Federation has also threatened to ban the Indian Federation following the shameful episode.
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