Phil Andrews, chief executive of USAW, said he empathised with athletes forced into cheating, and with Russia and other nations as they try to change the culture of the sport, but he wants extra votes for "clean" nations based on the same principle used in Olympic qualifying.

He also wants those nations who host major competitions, and therefore contribute to the growth of the sport, to be rewarded with extra decision-making powers provided they have a good record on doping.

The Americans are pleased with progress by the IWF in its efforts to persuade the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that weightlifting deserves to remain an Olympic sport beyond 2020, when its status is uncertain.

But the news that six of Thailand's World Championships team tested positive, and other recent doping cases, "both show the work already done but also the need to keep up the pace", said Andrews.

"There is still work to do," he added.

One area in which the IWF is hoping to impress the IOC is in reviewing its constitution.

The governing body has asked National Federations to put forward ideas for change, and the best of them will go to the vote at the IWF Congress in September.

Andrews aims to speak up for his plan next month in Las Vegas, where the IWF Executive Board will meet before the Youth World Championships.

The Board, he believes, will consider a report on progress so far by a constitution working party that met for the first time in Budapest last month, chaired by Jose Quinones of Peru and also comprising representatives from Russia, Germany, Finland and the Czech Republic, as well as senior figures from the IWF secretariat.

The IWF has made no announcement about that meeting and does not intend to, and Andrews has had no official feedback on his proposals.

He has, however, learned that after long discussions the group was wary of changing from "one nation, one vote" because it could set a precedent for other changes.

"That doesn't mean the idea is dead in the water," Andrews said.

"And I intend to take the opportunity in Las Vegas to talk to Board members about this.

"I'd like to hear their reasoning, to hear what we can do to modify the plan to address any concerns, and I hope the plan will go before Congress eventually."

He said giving extra votes to the nations with a clean doping record is "a permanent cultural change that, I believe, the IOC will really like" - and that the IWF should do all it can to back any changes that had IOC support.

Under the new Olympic qualifying system nations with 10 or more doping violations since Beijing 2008, when the worst of the sport's troubles began, lose Olympic quota places. 

Those with 20 or more can send only one man and one woman, compared to the maximum of four and four - and the very worst offenders can be banned outright, a fate that might befall Thailand.

Andrews' original proposal, which he is happy to amend if he makes progress with the talks in Las Vegas, is: "Full members with one anti-doping rule violation or less in the previous eight years shall be awarded one further vote (at Congress, the highest decision-making body).

"Full members with one anti-doping rule violation or less in the previous eight years who have hosted the IWF World Championship or Olympic Games shall be awarded a further one vote, for a maximum of three votes."

Andrews said the IWF deserved praise for signing partnerships with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport and the International Testing Agency, for its anti-doping efforts in terms of education, testing and enforcement, and for devising an Olympic qualifying system that rewards clean nations.

"The IWF may have the toughest job of any International Federation, and they've delivered it well - things are really changing," said Andrews.

He highlighted the efforts of Russia, under its National Federation President Maxim Agapitov, "to change the culture in an historically successful and storied weightlifting nation".