The International Weightlifting Federation has agreed on...

The International Weightlifting Federation has agreed on new measures aimed at stamping out drug use and securing the sport’s Olympic future, according to an East German official.

Junge Welt, a youth daily publication in East Berlin, quoted IWF committee member Werner Neumann as saying that the organization agreed unanimously on spot doping checks in all 131 member-countries during training and competition.

If three lifters from any one country are caught using banned substances in a year, that nation will barred indefinitely and will face other sanctions.

Junge Welt said it was an open secret that more and more people were calling for weightlifting to be removed from the Olympics because of the number of athletes caught using drugs at the Seoul games last year.

Under the new rules, it will be possible to set world records only at World Championships or at Olympics. Up to now, World Cup and Continental tournaments also counted.