Ignorance is no excuse for athletes to consume banned substances.
Anti-Doping Agency of Malaysia (Adamas) chief S. Nishel Kumar said more than 50 per cent of positive cases in doping is caused by supplements taken by the athletes.
“It is very normal, whenever they (athlete) get caught, they will say they do not know…Actually ignorance is also an offence. Athletes need to be careful in what they are consuming, especially supplements.
“In some cases, they (manufacturers) do not list down the ingredients or contents and details of whether the product contains banned substance, but when we conduct a thorough check, we found banned substances,” he told Bernama when contacted.
Recently, bodybuilder Sazali Samad became the latest elite athlete to be tested positive for Class S1 Steroid in an out of competition test conducted on Sept 1, besides ace shuttler Datuk Lee Chong Wei who was tested positive for dexamethasone at the 2014 World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Other Malaysian athletes who have failed doping tests are wushu athlete Tai Cheau Xuen, track cyclist Mohd Shah Firdaus Sahrom, as well as weightlifters Mohd Azril Huzairi Ramli and Jelinie Empera.
Nishel Kumar said the agency is doing its part in conducting anti-doping awareness programmes and talks to educate the athletes from various levels while noting that cycling, sailing and athletics as some example of active sports to engage with Adamas.
“We will write to all the associations to organise talks, first of all it is the association’s responsibility to give anti-doping talks, not only Adamas. Usually before participating in competitions, the associations will call us to conduct test,” he said.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Bodybuilding Federation (MBBF) secretary Kamaruzaman Kadir advised bodybuilders to refer to authorized personnel like pharmacist and nutritionist before consuming supplements.
“Do not just follow your friends advise before taking any supplements, because they might not know the ingredients and effects of consuming such supplements.
“Even better to take natural and quality food rather than taking supplements because it is much healthier. I believe with proper training and diet, anybody can excel in bodybuilding,” he said. – BERNAMA
