Mutlu tests positive claims report
ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkish weightlifter Halil Mutlu, a three-time Olympic champion, tested positive for a banned substance in the European championships last month, according to Turkish media reports.
The Turkish weightlifting federation declined to comment, while an official from the government's directorate of sports said they were investigating the reports.
The mass-circulation Hurriyet newspaper quoted an unnamed source close to Mutlu as saying: "Halil unfortunately tested positive for doping."
The source added: "He did not take the substance deliberately. However, he took pain-killers ahead of the championships because of an injury. The medications might have contained the banned substance."
The outcome of the tests from the European weightlifting championships in Sofia on April 17-24, where Mutlu won three golds in the 62kg category, has been conveyed to the Turkish authorities in a report by the International Weightlifting Federation, the Sabah daily said.
The banned substance was an anabolic steroid, it said.
