World barbell champion receives 7-month sentence

World weightlifting champion Carlos Nassar has been sentenced to seven months in prison with a three-year probationary period.

The district court in Pomorie imposed a fine of BGN 450 on the weightlifter, Darik News reports.

In late July 2022, Nassar was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs. He resisted the police team and was drug tested positive for amphetamines and methamphetamines. Nassar was also driving without a license.

The 2021 world champion initially denied it, but pleaded guilty in October.

After reaching a plea deal with prosecutors, Nassar’s sentence is suspended, but will become effective upon a subsequent offense. This allows the 18-year-old competitor to participate in the European Championship in Armenia in April.

The court’s reasons for the conditional sentence are that the case is incidental – Nassar has provided documents from 14 doping samples, in which the presence of narcotic substances was never found. In addition, the athlete is young and has no criminal record.

“I am very sorry, I made a mistake and I am aware of it. I will not do such things again and I will concentrate on the sport and the upcoming competitions,” commented Nassar after the court’s decision.