Weightlifting

Weightlifting is the second most affected sport by doping globally, with 1,689 registered cases (11.4% of all violations). Russian Federation leads in violations with 182 cases, while Stanozolol is the most frequently detected substance (252 cases). The average suspension length is 34.8 months. Weightlifting ranks #2 globally among all sports tracked by the Anti-Doping Database..

 
Number of cases in Weightlifting Last 10 Years

International Weightlifting Federation

Homepage: https://www.iwf.sport

Contact:
[email protected]

If you use this statistics, please credit The Anti-Doping Database

Sport Global Ranking
3,457
1,689
1,508
866
711
Global Ranking: #2 of 180 sports

1,689

Weightlifting cases

11.4%

Of all violations

14,828

Total global cases
Weightlifting's share of all violations 11.4%
1,689 of 14,828

Weightlifting leads significantly in anti-doping rule violations globally, with 1,689 registered cases — 11.4% of all 14,828 verified cases in the Anti-Doping Database. Ranking among the top 3 most affected sports globally.

Number of cases in Weightlifting By Country
Russian Federation
182
India
156
United States
127
Kazakhstan
107
Iran, Islamic Republic of
58
Egypt
54
Bulgaria
48
Belarus
45
Azerbaijan
43
Ukraine
43
Top Country: Russian Federation

182

Russian Federation cases

10.8%

Of global cases

1,689

Total Weightlifting cases
Russian Federation's share of Weightlifting violations 10.8%
182 of 1,689

Russian Federation has the most violations in Weightlifting with 182 registered violations, though cases are more evenly distributed globally. This represents 10.8% of the sport's 1,689 total cases globally.

The average suspension length for sanctioned Weightlifting athletes in Russian Federation is 34.8 months, longer than the global average of 30.2 months.

Substance use in Weightlifting
Stanozolol
252
Non disclosed substance
238
Methandienone
207
Dehydrochloromethyltestosterone
127
Testosterone
89
Nandrolone
67
Norandrosterone
59
Methylhexaneamine
52
Furosemide
44
Oxandrolone
43
Most Detected Substance: Stanozolol

252

Weightlifting cases

14.9%

Of sport cases

1,379

Global Stanozolol cases
Stanozolol's share of Weightlifting violations 14.9%
252 of 1,689

Stanozolol has the most violations in Weightlifting with 252 violations out of 1,689 total cases (14.9%). Though cases are more evenly distributed globally.

Globally, Stanozolol has been detected in 1,379 cases across all sports, ranking #1 among all prohibited substances.

The average suspension length for Stanozolol violations is 35.1 months, longer than the global average of 30.2 months.

Stanozolol is a man-made steroid, similar to the a naturally occurring steroid testosterone. It is used in the treatment of hereditary angioedema, which causes episodes of swelling of the face, extremities, genitals, bowel wall, and throat. The steroid may decrease the frequency and severity of these attacks. Stanozolol is a steroid with anabolic properties (i.e. it accelerates bone and muscle growth). Stanozolol is responsible for the development of the male reproductive system and secondary male sexual characteristics such as hairiness, deep voice, etc. It is available as a tablet or injection. Anabolic steroids have some medical uses such as to build muscle in bed-ridden and immobile patients and in the treatment of some rare causes of anaemia. Anabolic steroids are primarily abused by young men to improve their body image and by athletes and body builders. It is because of this that illegal anabolic steroids are mainly found in the gym or health club scenes. The effect people seek from anabolic steroid use is an increase in muscle mass either for an improvement in appearance or sporting performance and to lower training fatigue. Side effects Possible side effects of stanozolol include liver damage, development of breast tissue, menstrual disturbances, hair loss, deepened voice, acne and infertility. Status in Sport Stanozolol is prohibited both in and out of competition under the World Anti-Doping Code 2006 Prohibited List (effective from 01/01/06). This substance was added to the doping list ahead of the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games.

If you use this statistics, please credit The Anti-Doping Database

Number of Active Sanctions Ending Year for Weightlifting
Gender Distribution
Male 74.2
1256 cases
Female 25.8
437 cases
Analysis: Weightlifting shows an unusually high proportion of female cases (25.8%) compared to the global average (19.9%), a difference of 5.9 percentage points. Global average: 80.1% male, 19.9% female

About International Weightlifting Federation

The intelligence tool for anti-doping professionals

Used by journalists, sport lawyers, NADOs and researchers worldwide for proactive strategy — not just post-case research.

 

As a subscriber you get instant access to verified, structured anti-doping case data — from hours of research to seconds:

  • Complete athlete and sanction details
    • Identity, ban periods, substances used, test type, violation information and more.
  • Verified documents and case materials
    • Access sanction decisions, PDFs and official sources when available.
  • Advanced insights and historical trends
    • Statistics across sports, countries, substances and year-by-year comparisons — for proactive planning, not just post-case analysis.

The Anti-Doping Database currently contains 14,828 verified anti-doping rule violations across all sports and all countries, and is updated regularly.