It comes as a row between the athlete and Enrique Montero, President of the Brazilian Weightlifting Federation, continues.

Reis' bid to be part of the event in Miami, a qualifying event to be on the Brazil team at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships being held in Anaheim in California, later this year, was initially refused by Montero, sparking legal action from the 27-year-old which would ultimately deem him eligible to compete.

This was confirmed first by a court in São Paulo and then in a follow-up hearing organised by the Pan American Weightlifting Federation (PAWF).

But Montero, whose father David was reported by ESPN as being removed as the National Federation's President by the Brazilian Olympic Committee in 2008 over suspected misappropriation of public funds, has refused to accept the decision, throwing the participation of Reis here in the American city into further doubt.

Although Reis is among the verified entries, Brazil still has nine male athletes and one will have to be an extra, unofficial competitor whose status could deem his result ineligible for World Championship qualification. 

Reis, who competed at London 2012 and Rio 2016, fears it will be him.

Speaking in Miami, where he now lives, Reis has said he will take further legal action if required.

"It’s weird, it’s awful, it doesn’t make any sense," Reis, who has been in training for these Championships for four months, said.

"This man just wants to harm me and my career.

"I will fight on in the Federal Court and I will sue him.

"I want to post a big total in Miami, to make sure the top five in the world know that I am a contender for the World Championships."

Montero has never had a good relationship with Reis, who in 2011 became the first Brazilian gold medallist in weightlifting at the Pan American Games and is a multiple continental champion.

Soon after Rio 2016, Reis gave a television interview to ESPN in which he complained of corruption in the sport. 

Reis moved to the United States, where he studied, in January this year to set up a weightlifting academy in Miami and was unable to travel back for the Brazilian Championships in May, a qualifying event for the Pan American team.

With the Pan American Championships being the qualifying event for Brazil’s IWF World Championships team, the National Championships effectively became the pathway to the biggest competition of the year.

Reis was trying to get his green card and wrote to the Brazilian Federation to explain his situation, providing an endorsed document to show he had far surpassed the qualifying standard in an American competition.

Montero, however, did not accept that document and did not select Reis among the eight-man team.

"He entered our National Championships but he did not compete,” Montero said here.

"I don’t know his situation, I haven’t spoken to him."

After learning of his exclusion, Reis wrote to the PAWF and IWF and took legal action in a São Paulo court, winning a ruling that stipulated he must compete for Brazil at the Pan American Championships.

This led to Montero requesting to the tournament organisers that Reis be allowed to compete in the men's over-105 kilogram category, which in turn prompted a PAWF hearing to take place on Friday (July 21) as Brazil had already entered their maximum of eight men.

During the lengthy hearing, Reis and Montero both gave evidence while the PAWF also sought advice from IWF director general Attila Adamfi.

The PAWF Executive Board issued a written decision that the request of Montero was accepted and Reis was eligible to compete. 

The decision was delivered to the athlete, officials organising this event and to Montero, who refused to accept it despite having asked for it in the first place. 

"He was expecting us to refuse the request, which would have given him an excuse for not complying with the court ruling," said a PAWF source who was at the meeting.

The matter was unresolved after further heated discussions at the PAWF Congress yesterday, where Montero refused to comply with the decision. 

Action at the Pan American Weightlifting Championships is due to take place until Thursday (July 27).

The IWF World Championships are scheduled to be held between November 28 and December 5.