Vietnam loses one Olympic slot due to doping ban

According to IWF, Vietnamese weightlifting will only have two slots at Olympics Tokyo this July (one male, one female), instead of three as previously confirmed. This comes as punishment after many Vietnamese weighlifters tested positive for doping in the past two years.

In January, Nguyen Thi Thu Trang and Bui Dinh Sang were banned for four years in a doping scandal. In 2019, weighlifters Trinh Van Vinh and Nguyen Thi Phuong Thanh were banned for the same reason, plus fined $5,000.

Currently, Vietnam are still awaiting the official document from IWF.

Vietnamese weightlifters that have already qualified for the Olympics are Thach Kim Tuan, the only man, and Truong Thi Huyen and Hoang Thi Duyen. Vietnam Weightlifting Federation will have to select between Huyen and Duyen ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

Huyen won the SEA Games gold medal in the 45 kilogram category, while Duyen also claimed gold in the 59 kilogram event.

A total 17 Vietnamese athletes have got their ticket to Tokyo, set to take place from July 23 to Aug. 8.