The 25-year-old Moldova-born lifter, who was aiming to compete for Britain at the London 2012 Olympics having recently gained a British passport, tested positive for metenolone just before the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

He had been provisionally suspended from all competition after testing positive in August during the build-up to the Commonwealth Games where he was set to compete for England.

UK Anti-Doping last week confirmed he will be suspended until September 2012.

The ban means he will miss out on London 2012 even without the British Olympic Association's (BOA) lifetime ban on drugs cheats.

British Weight Lifting's performance manager Fiona Lothian said: "We 100 per cent support the important work of UK Anti-Doping in making sure all competition is clean from doping.

"While Mr Catana has never been part of the GB programme and was not part of the World Class Squad preparing for the London Olympics in 2012 [despite being due to lift for England in the Commonwealth Games], it is nevertheless disappointing for us to see any lifter found guilty of doping.

"The vast majority of weightlifters, powerlifters and indeed athletes from any sport are committed to being the best they can through clean methods, and it is always disappointing when people are caught trying to cheat.

"But the work of UK Anti-Doping to catch drug cheats gives faith to clean athletes that they will be competing against their rivals on a level playing field.

"British Weight Lifting is fully committed to target testing and responding to concerns of the membership."

Catana had been the best English weightlifter in the snatch and clean and jerk events in 2010.

Meanwhile, British Weight Lifting currently has a number of athletes registered on the National Registered Testing Pool with both organisations working closely to provide anti-doping education and testing programmes.