Thailand and Malaysia have been banned from participating in the weightlifting events that will be held at the Tokyo Olympics. Both the countries have disciplinary sanctions imposed against them by the Independent Member Federation Sanctions Panel (IMFSP) of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF).
Also, the IMFSP has suspended the Thai Amateur Weightlifting Association (TAWA) for three years and the Malaysian Weightlifting Federation (MWF) for a year. Both Thailand and Malaysia will be reviewed and if they meet the pre-defined criteria, the ban will be taken off.
In regard to this decision, the Thai and Malaysian federations have a 21 day time limit to challenge the decision of the IMFSP and appeal in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Apart from the suspension, the TAWA has to pay a fine of two million dollars.
Till then, watch out for the Tokyo Olympics from 23 July to 8 August 2021 and the Paralympics Games from 24 August to 5 September 2021.
