Tamás Aján has stepped aside as President of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) for 90 days, pending investigations into allegations of corruption. Ursula Papandrea, the American who chairs the IWF Women’s Commission and is President of USA Weightlifting, takes charge until April. The Hungarian has been at the IWF since 1976, serving 24 years as general secretary and the past 20 as President. Aján’s fifth term as President was due to run until May next year, and at the age of 81 he said he would not stand again. But he is standing aside temporarily, pending investigations of claims made in a television documentary broadcast on January 5. The decision was taken during a 13- hour meeting of the IWF Executive Board in Doha in Qatar. The meeting was called in the aftermath of a recently aired German television documentary Secret Doping – Lord of the Lifters which featured allegations of corruption, both financial and in anti-doping procedures. The allegations were strongly denied by the IWF, and Aján claimed the documentary had “ruined my life and 50 years of my work”. In a statement released after the meeting, the IWF said it would now convene a group of independent experts “to assess the validity of the allegations” during the next 90 days. Papandrea will head an Oversight and Integrity Commission “whose responsibilities will include identifying, nominating and recommending independent experts in fields including anti-doping and financial reporting”, said the statement. Joining Papandrea on the Commission will be fellow UWF Executve Board members from Oceania, Asia and Europe: Marcus Stephen from Nauru, Birendra Prasad Baishya from India and Karoliina Lundahl from Finland. The new Commission will report to the Executive Board and the IWF Congress, scheduled for Bucharest on March 11 until 13.
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