The sorry state of affairs in the of Weightlifters arena came to light in the recent lifetime ban that was imposed by The Indian Weight lifting Federation (IWF) on Satheesha Rai for testing positive for the second time in a Dope Test. In the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, the Weightlifter was found guilty of consuming stimulant strychnine. A six month ban was imposed and his two gold and one silver medals were taken back.

 In February 2007 at National Games in Guwahati he was tested +ive for a steroid called stanozolol. However, the IWF let him off without punishment on the grounds that he was retiring from the sport. Later WADA inquired about the reasons for letting Rai go. The IWF chief refused to comment on why a previous decision was reviewed and the judgment changed.

There is reason to worry as a lot of such incidents are coming into light. B Prameelavalli, a prospective winner in the 

Pune, Common Wealth Games has been awarded a life ban, as she was tested positive for the second time at the Noida Junior National Championship last month.

The IWF is also going to take stern action against the Uttar Pradesh Weight Lifting Association as two of its players namely Pramod Goswami and Manjit Singh have also been found guilty of doping in one year. A ban of one year and a fine of Rs 20,000 has been imposed on the state association. It is high time the IWF sought some answers for all the mess.