The IWF has provisionally suspended a Bulgarian weightlifter ©IWF

Bulgaria's Todor Yordanov has been provisionally suspended by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) after testing positive for a banned substance.

The IWF said in a short statement that Yordanov returned an adverse analytical finding for testosterone and "at least" one anabolic steroid.

The athlete has been provisionally suspended "in view of a potential anti-doping rule violation".

Yordanov could face up to a four-year ban if he is found to have breached anti-doping rules.

His provisional suspension marks the latest blow to Bulgarian weightlifting, which has a troubled doping past.

Bulgaria's weightlifters were banned from the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro after 11 athletes tested positive ©Getty Images
Bulgaria's weightlifters were banned from the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro after 11 athletes tested positive ©Getty Images

The country was banned from weightlifting at the 2016 Olympic Games after 11 athletes tested positive in 2015.

The Bulgarian Weightlifting Federation (BWF) had initially been fined $500,000 (£388,000/€429,000) as punishment before it was halved on appeal by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The BWF claimed independent laboratory results had showed the positive tests had been caused by a contaminated batch of a food supplement.

Bulgaria also withdrew its weightlifting team from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing after 11 competitors returned positive drugs tests, while the nation was stripped of three gold medals won at Sydney 2000 after positive tests at the Games.