A summary of WADA investigations into the International Weightlifting Federation and the sport of weightlifting

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Intelligence and Investigations Department (the “I&I Department”) has held an interest in the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) and the sport of weightlifting since October 2016. In August 2017, that interest transitioned into active investigations following the receipt of information from ‘Confidential Sources’ concerning alleged activities within the IWF. Since that time (2017), the department has worked quietly and diligently on many fronts, investigating doping-related issues within the IWF and the sport of weightlifting in general. The volume of allegations received in relation to this sport, mainly generated through WADA’s Speak up! platform, has been remarkable and has resulted in this sport being one of I&I’s priorities in the past four years.

This report summarizes the work that has been conducted to date by I&I in the sport of weightlifting. It also highlights the vital importance of ‘Confidential Sources’ (e.g. informants, whistleblowers, confidential information) such that our work within weightlifting has almost exclusively been driven by ‘Confidential Sources’. In publishing this report, we have sought to balance the imperatives of confidentiality and transparency. This balance does, however, necessitate the use of pseudonyms and de-identified case studies throughout this report.