Kazakh weightlifter Ilyin may participate in 2020 Tokyo Olympics

ASTANA. KAZINFORM - Secretary General of the Kazakhstan Weightlifting Federation Omar Mustafin does not rule out the possibility that Kazakhstani weightlifter and former Olympic champion Ilya Ilyin will participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Kazinform reports. 

"His case is little different from Maiya Maneza's case who has been disqualified for two years, but retained all non-Olympic results," Mr. Mustafin told journalists on the sidelines of the IWF International Anti-Doping Conference.

He also noted that making the decision in Ilyin's case can take up to several months.

As a reminder, the disgraced Kazakhstani weightlifter was stripped off two golden medals that he had claimed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics. Reanalysis of his samples from both competitions resulted in a positive test for the prohibited substances. However, the decision on his disqualification has not been made yet.