Bulgarian Weightlifting Federation Appeals 2016 Olympics Ban

The Bulgarian Weightlifting Federation (BWF) has appealed a ban on its team for the 2016 Olympics imposed by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) over doping cases, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Tuesday.

The Bulgarian federation is seeking to have the November 9, 2015 decision annulled and is also requesting to stay the execution of the challenged decision, the top court for sports said in a statement on its website.

In addition to banning the Bulgarian team from entering the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro the IWF also fined the BWF USD 500,000.

The lawyer of Bulgaria's weightlifting federation has said that he believes the ban will be overturned in time for the athletes to take part in the 2016 Olympics.