July 10, 2007	Tuesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 24, 1428

SYDNEY, July 9: An Australian weightlifter and a power-lifter have been banned for two years for doping offences, officials said on Monday, less than a month after weightlifting coach Sevdalin Marinov received a life ban.

Weightlifter Deborah Groves and powerlifter Damien Thompson had accepted the two-year sanctions, the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) said.

Groves failed to comply with an official request to provide a sample during an out-of-competition test in Sydney on March 7.

“Under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code, refusing or failing to submit to a request for sample collection after official notification is an anti-doping rule violation and carries a maximum penalty of a two-year suspension for the first offence,” ASADA said.

Chairman Richard Ings said athletes would continue to be subject to testing until they formally notified their sport in writing of their retirement.

“Groves stated that at the time of the test she was not actively seeking to compete and had retired,” Ings said.

“However, at no stage had she attempted to meet the requirements of Australian Weightlifting to officially notify them of her intention to retire.”Powerlifter Thompson was suspended for possession and use of a prohibited substance bought over the Internet.

“Thompson ordered a product which he believed to be homeopathic from an Australian Internet supplement company in 2005,” ASADA said.

“The product however was found to contain trace amounts of stanozolol, a banned steroid under the World Anti Doping Agency Code.

“This case is a timely reminder to all athletes that when buying over the Internet products advertised to enhance performance, you may get much more than you bargained for including a two-year ban from competition.”

Australian weightlifting coach Marinov last month received a life ban from the Court of Arbitration for Sport over a second drugs offence.—AFP