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10 December 2025
The ITA reports that the Russian weightlifter Mikhail Gobeev, who was handed a 4-year ban by the Anti-Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS ADD) on 18 January 2023 for the use of prohibited substances in samples collected between May 2012 and May 2013, was sanctioned with an additional 4-year period of ineligibility after violating the prohibition against participation during ineligibility or provisional suspension.
More particularly, the ITA found that the athlete had acted as coach, judge, referee and organiser of various weightlifting events and held various official positions within his regional weightlifting federation between July 2022 and the present, while he was subject of a provisional suspension and/or a period of ineligibility.
The ITA issued a sanction on behalf of the IWF in accordance with article 8.3.3 of the IWF anti-doping rules (and equivalent provision in the World Anti-Doping Code), whereby it revoked the credit for provisional suspension received between 22 April 2022 and 18 January 2023 and imposed an additional period of ineligibility of 4 years.¹ The initial period of ineligibility of four years is therefore effective from 18 January 2023 until 17 January 2027, whereas the additional period of ineligibility imposed by the ITA will be effective from 18 January 2027 until 17 January 2031.
Parties with a right of appeal may challenge the decision before the appeals division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in accordance with article 13.2 of the IWF anti-doping rules.
The ITA will not comment further on this case.
¹ When an athlete does not challenge the assertion of an ADRV or breach of ineligibility and does not request a hearing, anti-doping organisations have the possibility to issue a written decision sanctioning the athlete and imposing the applicable consequences without having to refer the case to a hearing panel. This is provided in articles 8.3.2 and 8.3.3 of the IWF Anti-Doping Rules and article 8.3 of the World Anti-Doping Code.
