ANKARA, Aug 19 (AFP) - Turkish weightlifter Sule Sahbaz, who tested positive for banned substances a day before she was to compete at the Athens Olympics, has denied taking drugs to enhance her performance, the head of Turkey`s weightlifting federation said Thursday.
"She is having a nervous breakdown. She says `I am not that stupid to bring shame to my country in a big event like this. I did not take such a drug`," Kenan Nuhut told the Anatolia news agency in the Greek capital.
World Championship bronze medallist Sahbaz was among the five weightlifters who the IOC said have tested positive for banned substances since teams of drug-busters started work on July 30.
IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies did not name the substances the athletes took.
The 26-year-old Sahbaz, who also won silver at the 2004 European championships, will miss the 75kg division on Friday.
Turkey`s Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said Turkish officials would also launch an investigation into whether Sahbaz used banned substances, but he nonetheless suggested she had proven herself irresponsible.
"This is, of course, an irresponsible act. It is like cheating in an exam," Sahin, who is accompanying the Turkish team at the Games, told the NTV news channel.