Xtra Time Web Desk: Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu may not get another opportunity to represent the country in weightlifting at Olympics in the near future. The situation has so arisen as weightlifting as a sport is in danger of losing its Olympic status following charter changes which have been unanimously approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session held on Monday. This will see the sport not being included for the Paris Olympics 2024.
Weightlifting and boxing are one of the few sports which have a history of long-term doping cases and governance issues according to the International Olympic Committee. The International Wrestling Federation (IWF) has lent a deaf ear to IOC’s requests to reform after a series of doping and corruption scandals in the past one year.
The IOC membership floated a proposal to grant the Executive Board the power to suspend weightlifting from the Olympic programme without approval from the Session.
The Olympic Charter was amended so a sport can now be removed by the full IOC membership if its governing body does not comply with a decision made by the IOC executive board or if it “acts in a manner likely to tarnish the reputation of the Olympic movement.”