Budapest: Leading official of Hungary's Olympic Committee dismissed in wake of doping scandal

The secretary general of the Hungarian Olympic Committee was dismissed on Friday after failing to clarify the doping cases of three Hungarian weightlifters at the Athens Olympics. The committee voted 15-0 to withdraw its confidence in Tamas Ajan, the Hungarian committee said on its Web site. Ajan's replacement will be chosen on Nov. 26.

Ajan is also a member of the International Olympic Committee, a delegate to the World Anti-Doping Agency's Foundation Board, its top decision-making body, and president of the International Weightlifting Federation. Five Hungarian athletes committed doping infractions at Athens.

Hammer thrower Adrian Annus and discus thrower Robert both were stripped of their gold medals, while weightlifter Ferenc Gyurkovics had to forfeit his silver medal in the 105-kilogram class after testing positive for oxandrolone.

Two other Hungarian weightlifters were also affected: Zoltan Kovacs was expelled for failing to provide a post-competition urine sample, while Zoltan Kecskes was suspended by the IWF for failing a doping test before the Olympics, AP reports.

A.M.