LAGOS - Nigeria's weightlifters traveling to Beijing for the Olympic Games are free of drugs, according to results of tests conducted during last month's Olympic qualifiers in South Africa.

Steve Olarinoye, Secretary of the Nigeria Weightlifting Federation (NWF), said on Thursday in Lagos that tests on the four lifters and their colleagues were negative.

He said the NWF received the results of the tests last week.

"It is a good omen for the sport and we in the NWF are very happy with the result of the drug test," he said.

He said the results of similar tests done in Algiers and Thailand during the 9th All Africa Games and the World Weightlifting Championships respectively were negative.

The weightlifting scribe added that 11 of the 16 lifters, who went to South Africa, were tested for performance enhancing drug.

He said the federation was still awaiting approval from the National Sports Commission (NSC) on the proposed tour of Spain.

Three Nigeria's weightlifters will travel to Beijing for the summer Olympic Games in August.