KUALA LUMPUR: Bodybuilder Sazali Samad, who is serving a four-year suspension for a doping offence, could land in trouble for taking part in an invitational tournament in Shanghai recently.
However, the 10-time Mr Universe said he participated in the tournament on his own accord and not through any association.
“I was invited by the organisers to participate in their ‘Open’ competition. I had appealed many times against my suspension and all were thrown out.
“I am now competing on my own accord. It was a private competition in Shanghai,” said Sazali.
On Sept 22, 2015, the Malaysian Bodybuilding Federation handed Sazali a four-year suspension after he failed a doping test by the Anti-Doping Agency of Malaysia (ADAMAS) before the Asian Championships in Uzbekistan.
His suspension ends in September next year.
The 50-year-old Sazali won his Mr Universe titles in Melaka (2000 and 2011), Moscow (2004), Ostrava (2006), Jeju (2007), Dubai (2009), Varanasi (2010), Bangkok (2012), Budaors (2013) and Mumbai (2014).