The IWF has appointed Professor Richard H. McLaren to investigate claims made by the recent German documentary of corruption by IWF President Dr. Tamas Ajan.
McLaren is known for his investigations of doping in sport, including in USA athletics, professional baseball and, most recently, Russia. His report into state-sponsored doping in Russia has led to wide-ranging consequences for Russian athletes across many sports, including weightlifting.
Tamas Ajan is currently voluntarily withdrawn from his offical role as IWF President. IWF Acting President Ursula Garza Papandrea announced the decision to appoint McLaren, saying:
“As I have said in the past, we need someone who is not a friend of weightlifting to look
into these serious and historic allegations. But if we are to get to the bottom of this, we
required an investigator whose findings will be trusted and undeniable. That is why we selected Professor McLaren. I thank my fellow Executive Board members for their courage in taking this extraordinary, but necessary action.”
In addition to McLaren, a lead investigator and, perhaps tellingly, a lead financial investigator have been appointed.
McLaren said:
“I wish to thank the IWF for their trust in me and my team. As independent investigators we
intend to follow every lead with the ultimate objective of uncovering the truth,” said Professor
McLaren.