Between November 2018 and July 2021 three Colombian weightlifters affiliated with the Colombian Weightlifting Federation (FEDEPESAS) tested positive for prohibited substances and a sanction of 4 years was imposed. These three violations occurred during the Qualification Period of the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games.
Consequently the International Testing Agency (ITF), on behalf of the IWF, charged the FEDEPESAS of breaching the IWF ADR and the IWF Olympic Qualification System (OQS) regarding the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The FEDEPESAS did not challenge the alleged breaches in June 2021 and agreed on the consequences without the need for a dispute before the IWF Independent Member Federations Sanctioning Panel. In July 2021 the ITA and the FEDEPESAS reached a settlement Agreement and they requested the IWF Panel to issue a consent Decision.
Therefore the IWF Panel decides on 5 July 2021:
1. Member Consequences applicable to the FEDEPESAS are as follows:
- Withdrawal of 5 out of the 8 quotas for the Tokyo Olympic Games, leaving the FEDEPESAS with 2 male quotas and 1 female quota.
- For the duration of one year (starting on 29 June 2021 when the terms have been agreed and until 29 June 2022):
- withdrawal of the right to organize IWF Events, IWF Congress, IWF Executive Board meetings, meetings of IWF Commissions and Committees (if the right to organize such event taking place during the period of sanction has been allocated to the Member Federation prior to the notification of the sanction, the event shall be considered as revoked);
- exclusion from participation in the IWF Congress with voting rights;
- withdrawal of the right to submit proposals for inclusion on the Agenda of the IWF Congress;
- withdrawal of the right to take part in and benefit from the IWF Development program apart from Education and anti-doping seminars.
2. The FEDEPESAS ensures that its Athletes and Athlete Support Personnel attend two anti-doping education sessions hosted by the ITA (in Spanish) within the next 12 months and to bear the ITA’s related costs and the costs of ensuring that the Athletes and Athlete Support Personnel are available, if any;
3. The FEDEPESAS makes its Athletes and Athlete Support Personnel aware of the ITA’s Reveal confidential reporting platform, the FEDEPESAS posts a link on its website to the ITA’s Reveal platform, and the FEDEPESAS Athletes and Athlete Support Personnel download the ITA’s Reveal reporting app (once available);
4 The FEDEPESAS ensures that it shares the dates and locations of training camps of the National Team’s Athletes with the ITA on a timely basis;
5. The FEDEPESAS makes its Athletes and Athlete Support Personnel available for an interview with the ITA, upon ITA’s simple request;
6. The FEDEPESAS cannot apply for a conditional lifting of the suspension as per 12.6.1 Article IWF ADR.
7. No fine is to be imposed against the FEDEPESAS given the cost saving of this settlement procedure and absence of appeal procedure.
8. The FEDEPESAS accepts to waive any and all rights or claims for damages in the scope of this proceeding.
