A female weightlifter from Myanmar and an Indian female lifter, who both failed in out-of-competition drugs tests, had been suspended by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), bringing the total suspended in the power sport to seven, IWF President Tamas Ajan said Thursday.

Ajan said the strongwoman from Myanmar, competing in the 48kg category, and the Indian lifter, whose name and weight category was up to the International Olympic Committee to disclose, had tested positive to anabolic steroids and diuretics respectively.

"Weightlifting has to survive the present situation but we have to do everything to have a clean weightlifting sport," Ajan told reporters at a news conference at Nikaia Olympic Weightlifting Hall in Athens.

The IWF has taken measure in its combat on drugs, carrying out more than one thousand tests in different parts of the world from the start of this year until July 30.

"The fight against drugs is not just lip service," Ajan said. "The five athletes suspended (earlier Thursday) were caught because of IWF controls."

Meanwhile, the IWF was studying very carefully ways to make their fight against drugs "much more effective."

"Weightlifting is an important sport and we have a 100-year history at the Olympic Games," Ajan said. "We will continue our strong fight against drugs."

Earlier on Thursday, the IWF suspended five weightlifters for failing drug test they took out of competition at the Athens Games.

The IWF announced in a press release that five weightlifters, Wafa Amomouri of Morocco, Viktor Chislean of Moldova, Zoltan Kecskes of Hungary, Kumari Pratima Na of India and Sule Sahbaz of Turkey have tested positive in out-of-competition doping tests.

The IWF said that all the five lifters concerned have been provisionally suspended according to the IWF anti-doping policy.

The IOC welcomed the IWF anti-doping efforts.

"There were indeed five weightlifters that were tested positive," IOC Director of Communication Giselle Davies told reporters. "We welcome the systematic testing of athletes as conducted by the international federation."

Two of those who were suspended by IWF pulled out just before walking to the lifting platform.

Among those suspended, Sahbaz had won a European championship in 2002 and a bronze medal in the 75kg at the World Championships in 2003. She finished second at the European Championships in April.Kecskes had an eighth-place finish in the men's 69kg at the World Championships in Vancouver in 2003.

Ammouri and Kecskes were to have lifted Wednesday, but were suspended just before their competitions. Kecskes was on the start list distributed to the media less than an hour before he was to have lifted, but he didn't make it.

Normally, suspensions are for two years unless the athlete is a repeat offender. Earlier this year, 2000 Olympic champion Galabin Boevski was banned for eight years after he failed a second drug test.