The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has taken another significant step in its attempts to clean up a tarnished sport by giving the majority of seats on its new Anti-Doping Commission to independent members.
Christine Girard, who won Olympic bronze and gold medals after doping cheats were disqualified at Beijing 2008 and London 2012 and who is now on the Board of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, is among the five independents.
Rune Andersen is another and will chair the panel.
The others are from the United States, Italy and Switzerland.
The IWF Board has also approved the creation of another body, the Independent Monitoring Group, which will have a decision-making role in evaluating whether member federations have complied with sanctions imposed for anti-doping offences.
“Ensuring that weightlifting is a clean sport depends on a whole range of processes, principles and cultural elements,” said Ursula Papandrea, the IWF’s Interim President.
“The IWF’s new Anti-Doping Commission and Independent Monitoring Group are vital components of our efforts to promote clean weightlifting and to protect clean weightlifters.
“The kind of changes we are putting in place to ensure the credibility of our sport and our athletes is not an easy process.
“But it is vital to our future.”
Papandrea took charge in January when Tamás Aján stepped aside after revelations of widespread corruption during his 44-year reign as general secretary and President of the IWF.
