CAS ADD decision gives 4 years sanction weightlifter Kakhi Asanidze for presence & use of ostarine - The ITA
The Anti‑Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS ADD) has confirmed that Georgian weightlifter Kakhi Asanidze committed an anti‑doping rule violation (ADRV) for the presence and use of ostarine and has sanctioned him with four years of ineligibility, together with the disqualification of his competitive results obtained from 16 July 2023 onwards.
On 14 August 2023, the athlete was notified that a sample he provided out‑of‑competition on 16 July 2023 had returned an adverse analytical finding¹ for ostarine, a non‑specified prohibited substance under the World Anti‑Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List. The athlete was provisionally suspended with immediate effect.²
Following the results management process conducted by the ITA on behalf of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), the matter was submitted to CAS ADD for adjudication.
The athlete alleged that he bore “no fault or negligence”³ for his ADRV because he (along with other members of the Georgian weightlifting team) was the victim of “sabotage”, and hence, no period of ineligibility should be imposed.
A hearing took place on 10 and 11 February 2025, in which the ITA represented the IWF. After hearing the parties and considering the written submissions and evidence, on 13 April 2026 the Sole Arbitrator found that the athlete had committed ADRVs under Articles 2.1 and 2.2 of the IWF anti‑doping rules for the presence and use of a prohibited substance. As a result, CAS ADD imposed a four‑year period of ineligibility on Kakhi Asanidze from 14 August 2023 until 13 August 2027. All competitive results obtained by the athlete between 16 July 2023 and 14 August 2023 were disqualified.
The athlete and the relevant stakeholders, namely the IWF/ITA, WADA and the Georgian Anti‑Doping Agency, have the right to appeal the CAS ADD decision before the Appeals Arbitration Division of CAS within the relevant time limits.
The ITA will not comment further on this case.
The original press release can be found here:https://ita.sport/news/the-ita-acknowledges-the-cas-add-decision-sanctioning-weightlifter-kakhi-asanidze/
