Olympic weightlifter Lin Tzu-chi has been pulled from the women’s 63kg event and given a temporary suspension after failing a doping test.
Taiwan’s Olympic team said Wednesday that it has decided to suspend Lin in accordance with World Anti-Doping Agency rules and in a spirit of fairness to other athletes. The Olympic team says that it does not yet know what banned substance triggered the positive result in the drug test.
This is not Lin’s first brush with banned substances. In 2010, she received a two year suspension for a failed doping test, which kept her from participating in the 2012 London Olympics.
An official with Taiwan’s Olympic team apologized Wednesday, saying that Lin’s temporary suspension is meant to show that Taiwan has no tolerance for doping. The official also said the suspension will likely harm the team’s chances of meeting the government goal of three gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal at the Rio games.
Taiwan’s Olympic team says that in the past, doping tests have come back positive after athletes used Chinese medicinal herbs. The team says that it will provide more guidance to athletes and coaches on avoiding possible triggers.