ANKARA, June 22(Xinhua) -- Eight Turkish weightlifters are out of the Mediterranean Games for failing doping tests at a training camp, Turkish TRT Television Station reported Saturday.

The lifters face bans from six months to two years for testing positive for the unidentified banned substances, said the report.

Turkish Weightlifting Federation head Tamer Taspinar said three of the eight were expected to win a medal in what is Turkey's strongest sport at the games.

The doping cases are a setback for Turkey, which is hoping to use the Mediterranean Games to show it has the capabilities to host the 2020 Olympics and win the bid ahead of Tokyo and Madrid.

The 17th Mediterranean Games officially began on Thursday in Turkey's Mersin.

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