The IWF has announced that three Colombian weightlifters have tested positive for the banned steroid Boldenone or its metabolites.
The suspensions of Yenny Sinisterra, Juan Felipe Solis Arboleda and Ana Iris Segura were all announced on 25th February 2020.
Boldenone is an anabolic steroid with a history of use for doping in a range of sports. In most of the world, it is not licensed for human use but is marketed as a veterinary drug.
Twenty-year-old Yenny Sinisterra won silver at the 2019 Junior World Championships, in the W55 category. She looked likely to finish in the world top eight for Olympic qualification but now is almost certain to miss out due to her suspension.
Juan Felipe Solis Arboleda won a silver medal in the M81 category at the 2019 Junior World Championships. He also claimed a bronze medal at the Pan-American Championships in the same year.
Ana Iris Segura took a bronze medal home from the 2017 World Championships but has not managed to reach that height since, finishing fifth in the W49 category in 2019.
According to the IWF Olympic qualifying process, a nation with three doping violations within the eighteen-month qualification period should be excluded completely from qualification. However, it is likely that the administrative and appeal process for these violations will stretch beyond the Tokyo games, meaning that other Colombian athletes will not be affected,