Bulgaria Optimistic The Court Of Arbitration For Sport Will Lift Doping Ban

The Bulgarian weightlifting federation's lawyer is "optimistic a doping ban will be overturned in time for its lifters to compete at next year's Olympics," according to Angel Krasimirov of REUTERS. Lawyer Boris Kolev said, "Bulgaria's chances of participating in the Olympics are very good because this punishment contradicts existing International Weightlifting Federation regulations." Last month the IWF said that Bulgaria's lifters "would not be eligible for the 2016 Olympics following a string of doping cases." The Balkan country appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and Kolev said that "the final decision from the Swiss organisation was expected in January." The country will have "three spots for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro if the ban is overturned" (REUTERS, 12/7).