Fiji Powerlifting representative Vinesh Chand has been awarded the bronze medal by the Pacific Games organising committee.

Chand finished fourth in the 2023 Pacific Games, Powerlifting competition but claimed third place after two Pacific Island athletes lost medals they won at the 2023 Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands after doping test results showed they had used performance-enhancing drugs.

Nauru’s Mahaasin Daoe, gold medalist in the men’s 66-kilogram powerlifting event, and Tahiti’s Tumatai Dauphin, silver medalist in the men’s shotput, have had their medals stripped.

They will also miss the 2025 Mini Games in Palau and are likely to miss out on the 2027 Pacific Games in Tahiti unless the event is held in the third quarter of that year.

Pacific Games Council chief executive Andrew Minogue said that following the respective hearings, the Disputes Tribunal has disqualified both athletes from the 2023 Pacific Games and imposed three years of ineligibility for Pacific Games competitions through until the second quarter of 2027.