Nader Sufyan Abbas

Nader Sufyan Abbas
Personal information
Birth nameAndrey Ivanov
Born (1975-12-12) 12 December 1975 (age 48)
Medal record
Men's Weightlifting
Representing  Qatar
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2001 Antalya -77 kg

Nader Sufyan Abbas (born Andrey Ivanov (Bulgarian: Андрей Иванов) on 12 December 1975) is a Qatari weightlifter who competed in the Men's 77 kg (170 lb) weight class at the 2004 Summer Olympics and finished 9th. He is the 2001 world champion.[1][2]

One of eight Bulgarian weightlifters recruited by the Qatar Olympic Committee for $1,000,000, Abbas became a Qatari citizen to represent the country in the 2000 Olympics. His old name, Andrei Ivanov, was left behind in the process. Qatar has been known for recruiting sportspeople from other countries, the most notable examples being fellow weightlifter Said Saif Asaad (formerly Angel Popov of Bulgaria) and world-class runner Saif Saaeed Shaheen.[3]

During the 2000 Summer Olympics, he dropped out shortly before the competition, citing a virus infection.[3][4]

  1. ^ "World Championships Men: -77 kg". Sports123.com. Archived from the original on 20 September 2008. Retrieved 22 January 2009.
  2. ^ "WEIGHT LIFTING; Qatar Man Wins By a Slim Margin". The New York Times. 8 November 2001. Retrieved 22 January 2009.
  3. ^ a b "Here comes the foreign legion". Aljazeera Magazine. 23 November 2006. Retrieved 22 January 2009.
  4. ^ "Bulgarian weightlifting team banned from Olympics for doping". CNN Sports Illustrated. Agence France-Presse. 22 September 2000. Archived from the original on 8 May 2001. Retrieved 22 January 2009.