KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Weightlifting Federation (MWF) have confirmed that their athlete who tested positive for a banned substance during a dope test before competing at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia has been provisionally suspended from all sporting activities with immediate effect.
MWF acting secretary, Abu Hanapah Ismail said that the athlete also faces a maximum suspension of up to four years if found guilty.
“The punishment depends on the type of banned subtance that was consumed, because the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has stipulated guidelines on such offences.
“The athlete tested positive for a type of anabolic steroid, and we also have to find out under which group it falls under. We will also have to wait for the result of the B Sample test, then there will be a hearing on the case, and from there we will be able to know the outcome,” said Hanapah.
Hanapah said as much after having a meeting with Malaysian Anti-Doping Agency (ADAMAS) director, Datuk Ramlan Abdul Aziz here earlier today (Thursday).
According to Hanapah, the athlete has already made an appeal to challenge the result of the A Sample by requesting for the B Sample to be tested, and the decision will be made known in about two weeks time.
“The athlete has the right and when asked on whether to open and test the B Sample, the athlete agreed to it and MWF will make an announcement as soon as the results are made known to us.
“This is the procedure and what we can reveal is that it is a weightlifting athlete that has been implicated in this doping case, but this happened during internal testing and screening, and not during the Commonwealth Games,” stressed Ramlan.
Earlier, the burning question was whether there was a case of an athlete who competed at the Commonwealth Games and failed a dope test, and now it has finally been answered when Dr. Ramlan confirmed it.
He also disclosed that the athlete in question is a national weightlifter, though he stopped short of revealing any further details.
