Three-time Olympic weightlifting champion Lyu Xiaojun has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned substance.
The Chinese weightlifter was suspended after testing positive for erythropoietin (EPO) in an out-of-competition test in October.
EPO helps athletes improve performance by stimulating the production of more red blood cells.
The 38-year-old set a new world-record to win a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London in the 77 kg weight class.
At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, he finished in second place behind Nijat Rahimov. Still, he was awarded the gold medal after the Azerbaijani had his gold medal stripped due to doping offences.
He further set a new Olympic record at the 2020 Tokyo Games, winning the gold medal in the newly established 81 kg category.
His suspension follows the lifetime bans imposed by the International Weightlifting Federation on two former senior officials, former president Tamas Ajan and Nicu Vlad, for anti-doping violations.
However, the five-time world champion, who became the oldest man to win Olympic gold in his sport, has the right to request the analysis of his test sample.
