KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 — National singles head coach Rashid Sidek is prepared to give a statement to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) panel hearing with regard to Datuk Lee Chong Wei’s doping case.

Rashid who was still in a state of shock over the incident said he believed Chong Wei was innocent because he was a player who believed there was no shortcut to success.

“To me he was unlucky (doping case). To be honest, he is a good player with a high level of commitment in training. He has weathered all the trials and tribulations to be where he is today.

“I will continue to give my support to him (Chong Wei). I have trained him long enough to know his true character,” Rashid told reporters after a training session at the Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara, here today.

On Saturday, Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) deputy president Datuk Norza Zakaria had confirmed that Chong Wei’s B Sample which was tested at the Universiti Olso Hospital in Norway on November 5, had tested positive for ‘Dexamethasone’ which is a banned substance.

Chong Wei, the country’s badminton icon and world number one, was initially reported to have failed a random dope test during the World Badminton Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark in August.

The world number one was implicated in the doping scandal after traces of dexamethasone were reportedly found in his urine (A Sample) during the random test conducted at the World Championships.

Chong Wei is staring at a two-year suspension from the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA). — Bernama