Topic: News: Bulgarian Coach Resigns over Doping Scandal

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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Bulgarian Weightlifting Coach Resigns over Doping Scandal
10/06/2000  

SOFIA, Bulgaria, October 6 (Xinhua) -- Bulgaria's weightlifting coach Ivan Abadzhiev  resigned on Thursday after a doping scandal  involving three Bulgarian lifters at the Sydney Olympics.

"I leave Bulgarian weightlifting offended," Abadzhiev said  referring to accusations against him after the scandal.

"I felt abandoned by my people. After the scandal in Sydney I  felt very depressed and nobody of the Bulgarians, except Nurair  Nurikyan, came to see me," Abadzhiev said, referring to Bulgaria's former weightlifting Olympic champion.

Many Bulgarians identify the country's glory at the  international weightlifting arena over several decades with the  name of Abadzhiev.Weightlifting is one of the most popular sports  in Bulgaria and has won the Balkan country many World and Olympic  titles.

But in Sydney three Bulgarian lifters - Izabela Dragneva, Ivan Ivanov and Sevdalin Minchev - were stripped of their medals after  they tested positive for furosemide, a banned diuretic used by  athletes to flush fluids from their system to get under maximum- allowed weight.

Ensuing tests showed that a legal drug, which the Bulgarians  took, contained furosemide. But the manufacturing company Sofia- based Sopharma didn't mention that in the drug's description. The  weightlifting federation is expected to sue the medicine's  producer.

Bulgarian Weightlifting Federation President Anton Kodjabashev confirmed that Bulgaria will pay a dlrs 50,000 fine imposed by the International Weightlifting Federation.  Enditem