Nigeria's Paralympic gold medallist Ivory Nwokorie, Iraq's Huda Ali and Moldovan athletes Stefan Rosca (pictured top) and Verginiu Arapu have all been banned from competition for two years and fined €1,500 (£1,300/$2,000) after being found guilty of violating doping regulations. 

A series of recent doping bans in the sport handed out to the likes of Kazakhstan's Ruza Kuzieva and Nigeria's Paralympic silver medal-winning Folashade Oluwafemiayo have caused a great deal of concern for the IPC.

Following the announcement of the sanctions on the four athletes that provided positive tests, an IPC spokesman told insidethegames that the support of athletes, coaches and NPC's is crucial in eradicating doping from powerlifting.

"Obviously we're very concerned by the number of cases that we've got," said the IPC spokesman.

"In 2010 we launched a very thorough education programme at international events whereby we sit down with athletes, coaches and officials and try to educate them on the dangers of doping.

"We provide literature in multiple languages that is sent to the National Paralympic Committees, but we're aware that this isn't a job we can do on our own, we need the support of our NPC's, the athletes and the coaches to wipe doping out from the sport."

Nigeria's Ivory Nwokorie (centre) is one of four powerlifters to be banned from competing for two years due to doping violations

Nwokorie tested positive for Furosemide, a substance that is classified under S5 Diuretics and Masking Agents on the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC) Prohibited List at the Fazaa International Powerlifting Competition event in Dubai this February, and she will now be banned until April 18, 2015.

Ali returned an adverse analytical finding for nandrolone metabolites 19-norandrosterone and 19-noretiocholanolone after competing on May 26 this year at the IPC Powerlifting Open European Championships in Aleksin, and will be unable to compete until June 11, 2015.

Rosca and Arapu also returned adverse analytical findings at the European Championships in Aleksin for dehydrochloromethyl-testosterone metabolite 18-nor-17b-hydroxymethyl-17amethyl-4-chloro-5b-androst-13-en-3a-ol, which falls under the Exogenous Anabolic Androgenic Steroids classification on the WADC, meaning they will also both be banned until June 11, 2015.

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