Skip to main content

Nov 4 is his D-Day

Tuesday will be D-Day for Lee Chong Wei when his B sample is tested for banned substance in a laboratory in Norway.

The World No 1 will fly to Norway with National Sports Institute (NSI) chief executive officer Datuk Dr Ramlan Aziz on Sunday and both will be present during the test. It is learnt that his urine sample will be tested for dexamethasone.

Dexamethasone is not a performance-enhancing drug but a type of steroid medication with anti-inflammatory effects that is usually used to aid an athlete’s rehabilitation.

Chong Wei, who arrived in Kuala Lumpur yesterday after a long holiday overseas, was allegedly tested positive for the substance after his semi-final win over Denmark’s Victor Axelsen at the World Championships in Copenhagen in August.

ā€œChong Wei is nervous and upset. Hopefully we will get some good news,ā€ said a source yesterday.
ā€œChong Wei and Dr Ramlan will be present when the former’s urine sample, which is stored in Norway, is tested... likely on Tuesday. Of course, he will check whether the container of his stored urine is properly sealed as required by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).

ā€œIt will be an anxious wait for Chong Wei as it will take between two and three hours before the result is released to him.ā€

According to a NSI official, dexamenthasone can only be detected between 36 and 108 hours after consumption.

In Chong Wei’s case, the substance may have been injected into his body not later than four days before his semi-final match in Copenhagen. But only a qualified doctor can prescribe the drug.
ā€œThere is no way he could have injected the substance into his body in Copenhagen. There must have been a doctor,ā€ said the official.

However, it could be a result of the stem cells treatment during rehabilitation in July using the controlled release method to help Chong Wei recover from a hamstring injury. If he can come up with evidence that the reason of the positive result was due to stem cells treatment, he could get away with a lighter sentence.



By AJITPAL SINGH  - NST

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ex-coach's jail sentence cut to a year

PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal yesterday sentenced former athletics coach C. Ramanathan to 12 months' jail for molesting two junior athletes 19 years ago. A three-man bench led by Datuk Mohd Hishamudin Mohd Yunus unanimously dismissed Ramanathan's appeal against conviction, but varied the jail sentence of four years to a year, which was to run concurrently. Following yesterday's ruling, Ramanathan, 75, a former teacher, walked out a free man as he had served 10 months in Kajang Prison. Convicts get one-third remission for good behaviour while in prison. However, he will lose his pension. Hishamudin, who sat with Datuk Abdul Wahab Patail and Datuk Linton Albert, said the court found no merit to overturn the conviction. "However, in reducing the sentence, we considered Ramanathan's age and the long years the appeal has taken." Deputy public prosecutor Awang Armadajaya Awang Mahmud submitted that then High Court judge Tan Sri Abdull Hamid E...

Chance to catch Messi and company

  FAM deputy president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and vice president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin with FC Barcelona chief executive officer Antoni Rossich yesterday. Pic by Osman Adnan LIONEL Messi's presence alone could sell half the tickets despite reigning world club champions FC Barcelona's date with a Malaysian XI at the National Stadium on Aug 10 falling on the third day of Hari Raya. The much anticipated visit of the four-time European champions comes with expectations from fans who want a full star-studded line-up. "The summer will be a busy period with a lot of uncertainty with players moving away and coming in. "But yes, our plans are to bring our full team here," said FC Barcelona chief executive officer Antoni Rossich yesterday. Rossich was speaking at the announcement of the friendly match, which is part of the three-match FC Barcelona Asia Tour 2013, which sees the giants also visiting China and Thailand. Also pre...

Rajagobal Let Off The Hook

PETALING JAYA, April 24 (Bernama) -- National head coach Datuk K. Rajagobal was let off the hook by the Football Association of Malaysia's (FAM) Disciplinary Committee after finding no evidence that he had violated FAM's Article 88, as claimed. FAM Disciplinary Committee chairman Datuk Taufik Abdul Razak said the committee had decided not to charge Rajagobal after carefully analysing the video of the post-match press conference by the 56-year-old coach. "After listening to the recording of the post-match press conference, we decided to drop the charge against Rajagopal as he did not make such a statement. "Maybe his (Rajagobal) assessment and comments of the match was misconstrued by the media. There was no mention of the FAM policy throughout his comments," said Taufik after emerging from a three-hour Disciplinary Committee meeting at Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya, here, Wednesday. Rajagobal who does not mince his words when asked to com...