• The Thai Amateur Weightlifting Association (TAWA) is to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), after the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) issued sanctions against it and the Malaysian Weightlifting Federation (MWF) last week. The sanctions, which include a ban from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics; a three year suspension of TAWA’s IWF membership; and a five month prohibition on minor athletes competing in international competition, were labelled ‘excessive and not justified’ in a TAWA statement. The sanctions were implemented after journalists working for ARD found evidence of widespread doping within Thai weightlifting, including the doping of minors as young as 13.

• Ronald Schoeman, a South African swimmer whose one year sanction is due to expire on 17 May, spent US$16,000 in an attempt to discover the source of GW501516 involved in his anti-doping rule violation (ADRV), reports Swimming World. It is understood that a FINA Doping Panel decision, unpublished but seen by Swimming World, agrees that his ADRV was unintentional. 

• The 27 people charged in four indictments unsealed by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) alleging involvement in doping racehorses have entered not guilty pleas, reports The Paulick Report. In is understood that because of Covid-19, a trial date is not likely to be set until autumn.