Asanidze, 22, is the second lifter from Georgia since the Tokyo Olympic Games to be provisionally suspended for a doping violation involving SARMS (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators), which are popular with bodybuilders.

Nations with three or more confirmed violations in the period between the delayed Tokyo Games in 2021 and Paris next year face the loss of some or all of their maximum six Olympic quota places.

Asanidze’s SARMS positive, from a sample taken on July 16, is the latest in a long list, giving weight to a theory within weightlifting that there has been a scientific advance in specific testing.

In the hundreds of historic sanctions listed on the International Weightlifting Federation’s (IWF) website, dating back to 2003, SARMS is not mentioned once under the "substance" column.

Since the last lift in the Tokyo Games in August 2021, there have been 37 adverse analytical findings announced by the International Testing Agency (ITA), which now handles all anti-doping procedures for the IWF - and 13 of them have been for SARMS.

On top of that, four teenagers from Kazakhstan tested positive for SARMS when samples taken out of competition by their national anti-doping agency in April were analysed.

Since December 2021, seven nations from three continents have had athletes suspended for testing positive for SARMS.

In its advice to athletes in all sports, the United States Anti-Doping Agency describes SARMS as "a class of therapeutic compounds that have similar properties to anabolic steroids, but with reduced androgenic (producing male characteristics) properties".

"Examples of SARMs include ostarine (Enobosarm, MK 2866), andarine, LGD-4033 (ligandrol), and RAD140.

"SARMs have the potential to be misused for performance enhancement in sport due to their anabolic properties, as well as their ability to stimulate androgen receptors in muscle and bone, leading to bone and muscle growth."

Asanidze is a 73 kilograms athlete who finished eighth at the European Championships in Armenia in April, and 10th at last year’s IWF World Championships.

The other Georgian who is provisionally suspended for a SARMS offence is the Tokyo 96kg bronze medallist Anton Pliesnoi.

His suspension began after his sample was analysed in December 2021 but there has been no further news of his ongoing case.

Another announcement by the ITA has improved Turkmenistan’s hopes of competing at Paris 2024, which will now rest with an independent panel.

The Tokyo Olympian Rejepbay Rejepov has been suspended for three years for a doping positive, rather than the usual four.

Rejepov made an "agreement on consequences" with the ITA. 

There is no further information listed on the ITA website but the announcement means that Rejepov, a silver medallist in the men’s 81kg category at last year’s IWF World Championships in Colombia, has admitted the offence and foregone any appeal.

Rejepov, 30, is one of three Turkmenistan weightlifters whose sample came up positive for the steroid methasterone, also known as superdrol, between February and May this year.

The other two are teenage sisters Ogulgerek and Medine Amanova, whose father is the national youth coach of Turkmenistan.

Any nation with three or more doping violations during the qualification period, which result in suspensions of four years or more, is excluded outright from Paris, as stated in the qualifying rules.

When there is a lesser suspension among the multiple violations "some or all" of the maximum six quota places for Paris may be withdrawn by the independent panel.

The IWF's Anti-Doping Policy Article 12, which applies at all times rather than just during Olympic qualifying, states that when nations have three or more doping violations within a 12-month period, the independent panel "may, after taking into account both the seriousness of the underlying anti-doping rule violations and the gravity of the circumstances surrounding the case" ban the federation for up to four years, or fine it up to $500,000 (£392,747/€459,542) payable within six months.

If and when the remaining cases involving the Turkmenistan teenagers are closed, the federation could still lose all its places for Paris - but it is up to the panel to decide.

Turkmenistan's doping record before this year is not as bad as some other nations: two male athletes suspended in 2015 were the only two offenders in the past 10 years.

Three other nations have had three or more doping violations since Tokyo and face exclusion from Paris, depending on the final outcome of ongoing cases.

Pakistan would struggle to qualify any athletes in the absence of its star performer Talha Talib, who is suspended. 

Its case is complicated, and involves athletes being instructed to refuse to give samples.

Ukraine, which has a bad history of doping, had three athletes test positive within a six-month period for "hormone and metabolic modulators" and a diuretic. 

Its 59kg lifter Kamila Konotop - who has not tested positive - would be a strong medal contender in the women’s events.

The third is Kazakhstan, which has the men’s 102kg rankings leader in Nurgissa Adiletuly, who tested positive for two banned substances and is provisionally suspended along with four team-mates by the ITA, plus the four teenagers suspended by their national agency.

Kazakhstan, which has one of the worst historic doping records, sacked its national head coaches last month and has announced replacements.

Dauren Bekmukhanbetov, who has been a coach for 20 years, will take charge of the men’s team and Ivan Snegurov has been appointed head coach of the women’s team.

Snegurov’s father and grandfather were both elite coaches and he has 14 years' coaching experience.

The ITA has listed two further provisional suspensions, both of them teenagers.

Juan Guadamud from Ecuador, who set a sweep of continental youth records at 81kg two years ago when he won the Pan American youth title, has been provisionally suspended for four years dating back to August 2021, the month when he set the records in Mexico.

The 19-year-old tested positive for SARMS (ostarine) and the steroid DHCMT.

Jassim Alzouri, 18, from Saudi Arabia made an agreement on consequences and his case has been resolved.

Alzouri, who competed at the Asian Youth and Junior Championships last year, has been suspended for three years from May 2023. 

His sample was positive for testosterone metabolites.