Pakistan weightlifting chief, coach banned for life

The Court of Arbitration for Sport’s Anti-Doping Division (CAS ADD) has imposed a life ban on suspended Pakistan Weightlifting Federation chief Hafiz Imran Butt and coach Irfan Butt for their involvement in the administration of banned substances to the country’s athletes, including minors, between 2014 and 2016.

Pakistani weightlifter Abubakar Ghani has also been handed a four-year ban for submitting falsified medical prescriptions to explain failed dope tests.

Ghani had tested positive for the prohibited hormone and metabolic modulator Tamoxifen metabolite during the 2021 World Championships in Tashkent.

In its judgement indicting Hafiz and Irfan, the CAS-ADD stated, “...both athlete support personnel had been directly involved in the administration of prohibited substances, including steroids, to Pakistani athletes, including minors, and had played central roles in large-scale doping in Pakistan.”