Russian Weighlifting Federation Contacts World Body Over Aleksey Lovchev Case

Russia's weightlifting governing body has taken up world champion Aleksey Lovchev's doping case with the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), it said on Monday. (Russian Sports Minister Backs World Champion Aleksey Lovchev Despite Doping Ban)

"We've sent an official inquiry about the testing of Lovchev's B sample and an independent hearing of his case to IWF," the federation's vice-president Alexander Petrov told R-Sport agency. (Australia and United Kingdom Back Russian Olympic Ban Over Doping)

"The IWF will assign a day for the hearing by the federation's anti-doping committee, while the laboratory in Montreal will set the date for the B sample testing."

Lovchev, 26, who won gold in the +105kg category at the world championships in Houston last month, tested positive for the banned growth hormone Ipamorelin.

He claims he had permission to use a medicine to ease pain from a knee injury he was suffering at the time of the tournament where he broke the clean-and-jerk and total world records.

The IWF has provisionally suspended Lovchev for "violation of anti-doping regulations".

Lovchev denies any wrongdoing saying he was innocent. He told Russian television station 'Match' he was in a state of "absolute shock".

"There's too much ambiguity in this case," Petrov added.

"This substance currently undergoes testing and does not exist as a medical product. It's absolutely unclear how it could appear in Lovchev's body."

The latest scandal to hit Russian sport comes hot on the heels of Russian track and field competitors being banned after their athletics federation was accused of state-sponsored doping.

The Russian anti-doping authority and Moscow's anti-doping laboratory were also suspended.