Turkey’s three-time Olympic gold medal-winning weightlifter Naim Süleymanoğlu has been exhumed in Istanbul as part of a paternity lawsuit ©Getty Images

Turkey's three-time Olympic gold medal-winning weightlifter Naim Süleymanoğlu has been exhumed in Istanbul as part of a paternity lawsuit filed by Japanese citizen Sekai Mori, who claims to be his daughter.

As reported by Daily Sabah, Mori alleges that Süleymanoğlu, who died in November 2017, met with her mother Kyoko Mori, a Japanese journalist, at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games.

She requested a paternity test through her lawyer and the court decided to exhume the remains of Süleymanoğlu from the Turkish city's Edirnekapı Cemetery in order to obtain tissue samples for DNA tests.

Süleymanoğlu’s daughters from his Turkish wife, Esin and Sezin, had opposed exhuming his body.

"We don't want the exhumation," a statement issued through their lawyer reads.

"The dear departed will turn in his grave.

"If there was something like that, he would have had the DNA tests done himself when he was in good health.

"His daughters are very sad, they are devastated."

But Mori’s attorney Hülya Aksakal was reported as saying by the Hürriyet Daily News that "exhumation is a routine in paternity cases if the father is dead".

Aksakal added that Süleymanoğlu’s DNA samples in the hospital were "insufficient for a paternity test".

Naim Süleymanoğlu won the last of his three Olympic gold medals at Atlanta 1996 ©Getty Images
Naim Süleymanoğlu won the last of his three Olympic gold medals at Atlanta 1996 ©Getty Images

Süleymanoğlu died at the age of 50 after he had been placed into intensive care at the Memorial Atasehir Hospital in Istanbul.

The Turk underwent a successful liver transplant in October 2017, a month prior to his death. 

He had previously been placed into intensive care on September 25 due to liver failure.

Nicknamed "Pocket Hercules" due to his short stature, Süleymanoğlu became a global star after setting 46 world records.

The first of his three Olympic gold medals came at Seoul 1988, where he outlifted the winner of the weight class above him.

Süleymanoğlu managed a world record-breaking total of 342.5 kilograms in the men’s 60kg category, while East Germany’s Joachim Kunz posted 340kg to claim the men’s 67.5kg title.

Olympic gold medals were also won by Süleymanoğlu in the 60kg division at Barcelona 1992 and 64kg category at Atlanta 1996.

The seven-time world champion was named the best weightlifter of the 20th century and received an Olympic Order in 2001.

Süleymanoğlu was also a member of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Hall of Fame.

The IWF is holding an Executive Board meeting and Congress here this week in Uzbekistan's capital.