Filipino weightlifter banned for anti-doping violations

Paris Olympian John Ceniza has been banned for two years by the International Weightlifting Federation after failing to disclose his whereabouts.

The ban was first reported by the International Testing Agency (ITA) on its website, slapping the Filipino with a “two-year period of ineligibility for his failure to declare his whereabouts for 12 months.

“The ITA reports that weightlifter John Febuar Ceniza has been sanctioned for his Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) under Article 2.4 of the IWF Anti-Doping Rules (IWF ADR). John Febuar Ceniza committed three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period,” the ITA wrote on its website.

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Weightlifter John Ceniza handed two-year ban for anti-doping violation / by @reubensports

John Ceniza joins fellow Olympian Vanessa Sarno on IWF banned list for failure to declare his whereabouts over a 12-month period 😦https://t.co/EpadE4hESK

— SPIN.ph (@spinph) October 31, 2025

Ceniza’s ineligibility already started last Oct. 17 and will be sanctioned until Oct. 16, 2027. His results from January 1 of this year have also been deemed disqualifications.

The ban marks the second time a Filipino has been sanctioned for the past two months as Vanessa Sarno was also handed a sanction, preventing her from competing from Aug. 4 to Aug. 3, 2027.

Ceniza recently competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics but failed to take home any medals.

In the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, Ceniza captured the silver medal in the men’s 55kg category.

Sources reported that Ceniza has not been active in training and competitions since his early exit in the Paris Olympics.

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