Belarus Olympic weightlifter faces ban over sample tampering

A Belarusian weightlifter who was mysteriously withdrawn from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics has been suspended for alleged "urine substitution" in a doping sample.

The International Weightlifting Federation says Stanislav Chadovich is provisionally suspended awaiting a ruling on allegations of using substitute urine to fool a drug test.

He could be banned for four years, since athletes found tampering with their samples are usually punished as if they tested positive. While the details of Chadovich's case are unclear, previous cases have involved athletes using hidden tubes to fill their sample with clean urine.

Chadovich is a former European championship silver medallist who was to compete in the men's 62-kilogram category at the Olympics and was considered a potential medal winner. However, he was removed from the Belarus team at short notice with no explanation.

The IWF did not say whether the alleged offence occurred in Rio.

It comes as Belarus already faces a one-year ban from international weightlifting after several lifters failed retests of their doping samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

The IWF also confirmed a provisional suspension for Poland's former European silver medallist , Krzysztof Szramiak, who previously competed at the 2008 Olympics without winning a medal. Szramiak's positive test for the banned substance GHRP-6 had previously been announced when the head of the Polish weightlifting federation resigned this month over failed tests by leading competitors. Szramiak previously served a two-year ban and could be banned for life for a second offence.

Taiwanese weightlifter Hsiao Ya-Fang was also suspended after testing positive for a banned steroid, the IWF said.