The Indian Weightlifting Federation owes an explanation and an apology to the country for the dope scandals that may lead to the humiliation of a third international ban, an angry Sports Minister M S Gill said on Monday.

In a strongly worded speech he delivered at the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan Sports Meet, Gill said IWF officials need to explain how six lifters returned positive for banned substances in WADA tests.