Russian weightlifters facing Games ban

Russian weightlifters could be banned from the Rio Olympics after failed retests from 2008 and 2012 taken by the sport's governing body.

Russia's weightlifters face being banned from the Rio Olympics, subject to confirmation by the International Olympic Committee, in another collective doping punishment to hit the country.

Five days after its track and field team's suspension from the 2016 Games was upheld, Russia's weightlifters are now facing the prospect of being barred from going to Rio in August.

Belarus and weightlifting superpower Kazakhstan were also banned over failed retests from 2008 and 2012 on Wednesday by the sport's governing body, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF).

The IWF also punished other nations by reducing the number of available athlete slots in Rio.

Retrospective doping tests carried out by the IOC have led to 17 positives from the 2008 and 2012 Games being announced by the IWF, which believes there may be more cases to come.

The IWF is awaiting confirmation of those failures and a final tally from the IOC, who were not immediately available when contacted late on Wednesday by Reuters.