The Sydney 2000 gold medallist (pictured top), who received an eight year doping ban in 2004 and is currently serving a nine year prison sentence for international drug trafficking was suggested as a possible new coach for the Brazilian team ahead of Rio 2016, according to reports in his native Bulgaria. 

Yet, the IWF have released the following statement: "The International Weightlifting Federation has no information or knowledge of such intentions by the Brazilian Weightlifting Federation.

"Naturally the IWF would like to see a development in Brazil's weightlifting - in view of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, however we categorically refuse the assumption that the IWF would support such move."

The 36-year-old Bulgarian has been detained in Brazil since 2011 after he was caught trying to board a plane from the Brazilian capital to Europe with nine kilograms of the class-A drug cocaine.

Before his criminal convictions, Boevski enjoyed a decorative career including being crowned -61 kg world champion in the 1999 and 2001 World Weightlifting Championships and winner of the 1999, 2002 and 2003 European Championships along with his 2000 Olympic gold.

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