ITA imposed four-year ban on Bulgarian weightlifter Bozhidar Andreev over mesterolone

The ITA said an out-of-competition sample collected on 15 October 2025 returned an adverse finding for a mesterolone metabolite. It set ineligibility from 18 November 2025 through 17 November 2029 and disqualified Andreev's results from 15 October to 18 November 2025. The agency issued the written decision on behalf of the International Weightlifting Federation after the case was not taken to a hearing panel under IWF Anti-Doping Rules, RG reported.

The sanction

The ITA runs the International Weightlifting Federation's independent anti-doping program. Mesterolone is listed under S1.1 Anabolic Androgenic Steroids on the WADA Prohibited List and is banned at all times, the agency said. The agency initially reported an adverse analytical finding, followed by the four-year sanction, Fakti.bg reported.

"Mesterolone is known for its strong androgenic effect, increasing testosterone levels and enhancing male sexual characteristics," the ITA said.

Mesterolone is an anabolic-androgenic steroid with strong androgenic properties, and it influences the functioning of male sex hormones, novinite.com reported. Because the substance is prohibited at all times, an out-of-competition finding is a violation. The ineligibility began on 18 November 2025, 34 days after the 15 October 2025 sample. The end date, 17 November 2029, falls after the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, so Andreev will miss those Games.

The ITA's announcement sets out the sample date, the substance class and the start and end of the ban. It also notes the right of appeal.

What the ban covers

The sanction has two parts: a period of ineligibility and a disqualification of results. Results Andreev posted between 15 October and 18 November 2025 are annulled. The Paris 2024 bronze is unaffected because it falls outside that window. He took third in the under-73 kg class in Paris and fifth in the same class at Tokyo, novinite.com reported. Both Olympic results sit outside the window the ITA has annulled.

Andreev, 29, is a two-time European champion, in 2019 and 2024, and a bronze medallist at the 2019 World Championships, UA.NEWS reported, calling the Paris bronze the highlight of his career. The outlet described the finding as a metabolite of mestanolol, while RG and Fakti.bg named mesterolone; the sample came from a surprise test, Fakti.bg reported.

According to 24 Chasa, cited by Fakti.bg, Andreev temporarily quit the sport after the Paris Games over financial problems in the federation and unpaid money. He later returned.

Appeal

Andreev may appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne. Until the court rules, the sanction remains in force, Fakti.bg reported. The ineligibility expires on 17 November 2029 unless CAS changes it.