Evidence of doppelgangers being used to impersonate athletes during drug testing, ensuring clean urine, was found in an ongoing World Anti-Doing Agency investigation into doping in weightlifting.
A Thursday update from the WADA investigation, launched in 2017, noted an “inquiry into practice of real-time urine substitution by athletes and the use of doppelgangers,” uncovering suspected cases involving 18 weightlifters from six countries.
“A doppelganger is a person who impersonates an athlete during testing and provides a sample on their behalf,” according to WADA.
The IOC previously warned the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) that the sport’s place on the 2024 Paris Olympic program could be brought into question if it didn’t reform its management and crack down on doping.