Tigran Martirosyan tests positive for doping at 2008 Beijing Olympics

The International Weightlifting Federation says three more weightlifters have tested positive for anabolic steroids at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in retests of their doping samples, the Associated Press reports.

The IWF said the retests of 2008 samples from Sardar Hasanov of Azerbaijan, Tigran Martirosyan of Armenia and Sibel Ozkan of Turkey came back positive.

Hasanov is the third Azeri weightlifter whose retest from the Olympics is positive, following reigning world champion Boyanka Kostova and Intigam Zairov, which could prevent the team from competing at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Three or more positive results from sample retesting can lead to an Olympics ban.

Azerbaijan is already appealing the loss of two Olympic quota places after six of its team members also failed drug tests at last year’s world championships.

Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.

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Emil Lazarian

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