New Delhi: The executive committee of the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF), which faces the prospect of being banned by the international federation, Monday resigned en masse, taking “moral responsibility” for the series of doping scandals that have hit the sport in the last few months.

According to sources, in an emergency meeting in the capital, the entire IWF executive, that included president Harbhajan Singh and secretary Balwant Raj Gulati, submitted their resignations to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Suresh Kalmadi.

Kalmadi, sources said, will accept all the resignations and recommend new elections for the IWF executive to be held within a month’s time.

The move by the IWF executive, unprecedented in the history of Indian sport, came only after it was clear that the international body, in its meeting to be held Wednesday in Gayong City in Korea, was gearing up to ban India for up to two years and impose a fine of $50,000 for the doping offences.

As per the rules of the world body, if three or more weightlifters from a member nation fail dope tests within a 12-month period, the country is automatically banned for one-year or fined heavily.

India have been banned thrice before for their lifters failing dope tests.

On one occasion, India had to pay a fine of $25,000. Despite this, a total of eight Indians weightlifters have failed dope tests over the past few months. It includes some of the top names like Monika Devi and Shailaja Pujari.

Sources said the resignations came after the IWF officials were put under pressure by a section of the officials in the IOA and the IWF itself.

Even the four-member committee headed by K.P. Singh Deo, which was appointed by the IOA a few weeks back, said in its report that there should be a total change in the weightlifting body.

The feeling is that the IWF is unlikely to avoid punishment from the international body although some people feel some leniency could be shown in light of the Commonwealth Games that is to be held in New Delhi next year.