Entire Bulgarian weightlifting team thrown out of Olympics

The future of weightlifting as an Olympic sport is today under threat after two more Bulgarians were stripped of medals and the entire team was expelled.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) disqualified gold medallist Izabela Dragneva - the first women's weightlifting champion in Olympic history - and men's bronze medallist Sevdalin Minchev.

The women's gold was later awarded to Tara Nott, who became the first American gold medallist in weightlifting in 40 years.

The IOC said Dragneva and Minchev tested positive for furosemide, a banned diuretic used by lifters to flush fluids from their system to make the weight. Both were ordered to return the medals and leave the Olympic village.

The action came just two days after another Bulgarian lifter, Ivan Ivanov, had his silver medal taken away for testing positive for the same diuretic.

"It looks like something of a program that may have been in place," IOC vice-president Dick Pound said.

A few hours after the IOC expulsions, the International Weightlifting Federation kicked out the entire Bulgarian team from the games and suspended the national body for 12 months.

"They have brought the sport of weightlifting into worthless repute," IWF vice-president Sam Coffa said. Under the IWF's "three-strikes-and-out" rule, a national team risks a year-long ban in the event of three positive cases in 12 months. Teams can pay a £30,000 fine to waive the ban, but the IWF said it didn't even consider taking the Bulgarians' money.

The expulsions mark a throwback to the 1988 Seoul Olympics, where the entire Bulgarian weightlifting team was withdrawn after two lifters - Mitko Grubler and Angel Guenchev - were stripped of gold medals. They also tested positive for furosemide.

"When athletes are using this product, they are getting stupid," said Prince Alexandre de Merode, chairman of the IOC medical commission.

Dragneva, 28, had won the gold medal in the women's 105-pound (48-kg) event, while Minchev, 26, had taken the bronze in the men's 137-pound (62-kg) class.

IWF secretary-general Tamas Ajan said he would meet with Bulgarian officials after the games to press them to clean up their act - or risk being kicked out of the sport altogether.

"If they don't present a very detailed program of how they fight against drugs, there could be a big problem for the Bulgarian federation," he said.