Promising Malaysian weightlifters are in the limelight again – but the wrong reasons after three were tested positive for Stanozolo – a substance banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
The three athletes are Muhammad Hakime Haikal Nordin, Muhamad Zaidi Mohd Nordin and Tonny Jesos. Two of them are in the national back-up squad while one is with the national team.
All of them are with the Malaysian Weightlifting junior programme and now face a possible four-year ban.
The trio has requested for their B samples to be tested.
The latest doping scandal in Malaysian weightlifting comes in the wake of Commonwealth Games bronze medal winner Fazrul Azrie Mohdad who was also tested positive for the same banned substance.
MWF acting secretary-general Abu Hanapah Ismail said: “The B samples will be tested in Cologne, Germany and the results are expected to be known in two to three weeks.”
The latest doping would have serious consequences on the sport in the country and the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) could ban Malaysia from competing in international meets.
The National Sports Council (NSC) disappointed with the latest developments and has come down hard and banned Malaysian weightlifters from their overseas training stints. This was announced by NSC director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail.
