KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 ― All national senior athletes should rightly be aware about the types of banned substances stipulated by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and must inform and refer to the National Sports Institute (ISN) if they take any supplements, said Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
He said this in reference to the doping case involving national diver, Wendy Ng Yan Yee who failed a doping test due to Sibutramine when competing in the 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games (KL2017) in August.
“Each time there is a doping case it is indeed a lesson to us. I am worried because this is a repeat case. The substance which Wendy Ng took is the same as that taken by wushu athlete (Tai Cheau Xuen) at the Asian Games in 2014.
“The substance is for controlling body weight, not to boost performance and much explanation have been given. Wendy is not a new athlete but a senior one and had participated in the Rio Olympics, and she should have known better not to take supplements not issued by ISN,” he told the media when met at the 2017 Kuala Lumpur FINA Diving Grand Prix (GP) at the National Aquatic Centre here today.
Khairy said any athlete found positive for doping, including Wendy, would be given the chance to defend themselves through their respective associations.
“I leave it to ASUM (Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia) to proceed with the next course of action. I don’t know her (Wendy) excuse,” he said.
At KL2017, Wendy won two gold medals, the individual women’s 3m springboard and 3m synchronised springboard with Nur Dhabitah Sabri.
If guilty, both the medals won by Wendy would be confiscated by the SEA Games Federation (SEAGF) but ASUM aspires to appeal to the Malaysian Olympic Council (MOM) and SEAGF that only the medal won by Wendy in the individual event be taken back. ― Bernama
