Pakistan Sports Board imposes bans on weightlifters and officials over doping violations confirmed under WADA’s “Operation Jasmine
ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-Nov,3rd , 2025) The Pakistan sports board (PSB) has imposed bans on several officials and athletes associated with the Pakistan Weightlifting Federation (PWF) following confirmed anti-doping violations under the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) “Operation Jasmine.”
Those banned include athletes Sharjeel Butt, Abdul Rehman, Ghulam Mustafa, and Farhan Majeed, as well as former PWF president Hafiz Imran Butt, and coaches Irfan Butt and Waqas Akbar.
According to the PSB, the bans on athletes and coaches will remain in effect for the full duration of their international suspensions, while the officials have been barred from all sports-related activities for four years. The decision takes immediate effect.
The move follows a series of doping incidents dating back to 2021, when multiple weightlifters either evaded tests or tested positive for prohibited substances. Subsequent suspensions were upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) earlier in 2025.
A PSB spokesperson stated that all banned individuals are prohibited from participating in any sporting activity until their disqualification period ends.
Copies of the decision have been sent to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), Asian Weightlifting Federation (AWF), WADA, International Testing Agency (ITA), CAS, Pakistan Olympic Association, and other relevant national and international bodies.
