PSB bans weightlifting officials and athletes for anti-doping violations

Staff Report

LAHORE: The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) on Monday announced bans on multiple athletes and officials associated with the Pakistan Weightlifting Federation (PWF) following conclusive anti-doping violations established by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Testing Agency (ITA) under ‘Operation JASMINE’. Those banned include Sharjeel Butt, Abdul Rehman, Ghulam Mustafa, Farhan Majeed, Hafiz Imran Butt (former PWF president), Irfan Butt (coach), and Waqas Akbar (coach), according to a statement by PSB. The board clarified that “athletes and coaches will remain barred for the full duration of their international bans, while officials are prohibited from all sports-related activities for four years, effective immediately.”

The decision follows a sequence of events beginning in 2021, when several athletes evaded testing and later tested positive, leading to multiple suspensions confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport Anti-Doping Division (CAS ADD) in early 2025. ’Operation JASMINE’ was the name of the joint investigation by WADA’s World Anti-Doping Agency Intelligence and Investigations Department (“WADA I&I”) and the ITA into allegations that officials from the National Anti-Doping Organization of Pakistan directed weightlifters to refuse sample collection, and that some elite Pakistani athletes were given unjustified advance-notice of testing, in contravention of the International Standard for Testing and Investigations.

The banned individuals cannot participate in any sports activity, hold office, or access PSB facilities or benefits until the expiry of their ineligibility period, the PSB statement said. The board reaffirmed that Pakistan, as a signatory to the International Convention against Doping in Sport, remains committed to upholding integrity, clean competition, and zero tolerance for doping. Copies of the notification have been dispatched to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), (International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), Asian Weightlifting Federation (AWF), WADA, ITA, CAS, the Pakistan Olympic Association, and other national and international bodies.

Earlier in August, the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) blocked the bank account of the suspended PWF on request of the PSB. In February, PSB declared the PWF elections null and void, citing violations of Islamabad High Court’s orders. In a letter addressed to provincial sports boards, departments and other stakeholders, the PSB stated that a group led by Hafiz Imran Butt conducted unauthorised elections on Feb 1, 2025, at the Olympic House in Lahore. In November last year, PSB formed a three-member interim committee to run the affairs of the PWF citing serious irregularities and anti-doping code violations.