KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 — The National Sports Institute (NSI) is in a spot as its nutritionist was informed by Datuk Lee Chong Wei he was taking cordyceps “but did not find it necessary to have the product tested”.

This was disclosed during the Badminton World Federation (BWF) doping hearing panel on April 11.

The panel had in their judgment stated NSI nutritionist Chai Wen Jin was first aware of the matter when Lee showed her a bottle of the capsules in 2007 or 2008.

“She advised him that cordyceps capsules were safe to use since they were food-based. She only advised him to take 100 per cent pure cordyceps without additives.

“Since she knew the athlete had been using cordyceps for many years without any problems, she did not find it necessary to have the product tested,” the judgment read.

NSI chief executive officer Datuk Dr Ramlan Aziz told Malay Mail yesterday an internal inquiry will review all reports to ascertain if Lee was ill-advised. It remains unclear if the supplement is endorsed by the Health Ministry.

The panel was informed Lee had been taking cordyceps since he was 13 “because his mother believed it was beneficial for his health”.

He later obtained the capsules on regular basis as gift from the “wife of a very influential man in Malaysia”, the panel said. Malay Mail understands the woman is the wife of a former minister.

“Around 2007 or 2008, this lady gave the athlete some of her own supply of pure cordyceps. She buys them in raw whole form and arranges for it to be powdered and capsulated at the same store in Kuala Lumpur,” the judgment read.

Lee revealed the identity of the woman to the panel “in-camera”.

The panel, in arriving at its decision to impose an eight-month sanction on Lee for violation of an anti-doping violation, argued: “The athlete accepted cordyceps for about seven years from a private person without any knowledge or control regarding how the capsules had been treated and capsulated. They were given to him in containers without label or description.

“The single comforting statement of his nutritionist many years ago is not a sufficient excuse for consuming the capsules for years”.

Dr Ramlan said Chai had not informed him about her discussion with Lee regarding the health supplement. 

“Perhaps she didn’t pursue the matter as it (supplement) came from a VIP,” he said.

“No one can absolve themselves from what happened. We forbid athletes from taking anything unless prescribed by NSI. We work under full trust and need to know everything.

“We want to talk to Lee. We do not wish to prolong the matter and will continue to assist him as he gets back into the sport.”

When asked if cordyceps is approved by the Health Ministry, Dr Ramlan said: “I doubt it. I need to look at the product and its packaging.”

Dr Ramlan said NSI will initiate a probe to identify the parties who worked closely with Lee.

“We will decide with our medical and nutrition departments. We have to look at all the reports and review them. This will enable us to identify if there was lack of action by any party.”

He said the institute will also review its policies to prevent recurrence of such an episode.

“We need to sit with the athletes, coaches and look into the diet and eating habits. No one person is solely responsible in Lee’s case as it was a joint responsibility between the parties concerned,” he added.