Topic: News: The Greek Doping Scandal

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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2 Greek weightlifters suspended for doping

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The Greek weightlifting federation has suspended two athletes who tested positive for a banned stimulant during national games this year.

A third athlete who took part in the European Union weightlifting championships in Poland in March has also tested positive for an unspecified stimulant but results on his backup sample were not yet available, the federation said Wednesday.

The first two weightlifters, Giorgos Papadopoulos and Christina Filandrianou, were handed a two-year ban.

The federation said it would take stricter action against drug cheats by suspending state funding for clubs whose coaches are involved in doping, and extend unannounced doping tests to include most Greek weightlifters.

Once the driving force of the country's medal industry, Greek weightlifting suffered a severe blow last year when 11 members of the national team tested positive for an anabolic steroid in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics.