The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) on Friday formally suspended Russia's eight-strong weightlifting team, effectively excluding it from next month's Rio Olympics, because of doping offences. Last month, the IWF said its Executive Board had decided to suspend for a year national federations that produced three or more doping violations in re-tests from the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games - made possible by improved detection techniques. It named Russia, along with Kazakhstan and Belarus, but said it would await confirmation of the positive tests from the International Olympic Committee before implementing the suspension. More...