Romanian woman weightlifter Alina Popovici has been suspended by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) until the summer of 2020, after being tested positive for Stanozolol, a synthetic anabolic steroid derived from dihydrotestosterone, iwf.net reports.
The 16 years old athlete, registered with the Sports Club Botosani (north-eastern Romania) tested positive on August 11, out of the competition. Her suspension is due on August 11, 2020. Alina Popovici has won the 48 kg category national title this summer.
Six weightlifters were sanctioned for doping in 2016, according to the IWF website: Marvina Soledad Veron (Argentina), Sergey Dolgaesv (Kazakhstan), Moises Cartagena (Puerto Rico), Yuliya Kalina (Ukraine), Adham Badr Masood Marzoq (Yemen) and Alina Popovici.
Stanozolol, commonly sold under the name Winstrol (oral) and Winstrol Depot (intramuscular), is a synthetic anabolic steroid derived from dihydrotestosterone. It was developed by American pharmaceutical company Winthrop Laboratories (Sterling Drug) in 1962, and has been approved by the FDA for human use.
Stanozolol is one of the anabolic steroids commonly used as performance-enhancing drugs and is banned from use in sports competition under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and many other sporting bodies.