KUALA LUMPUR: Consumption of banned substances by Malaysian athletes is a problem that has never been seriously dealt with.
Swimming legend Nurul Huda Abdullah has urged the authorities to be vigilant against this problem.
Nurul Huda, who has won 22 Sea Games gold medals, hopes Malaysian athletes will stay clear of doping controversies when competing in next year’s Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, and Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia next year.
“As a former athlete, I am against the use of banned substances. It is detrimental to health and affects sport’s integrity,” she said yesterday.
“Athletes must be informed of the risks that come with taking banned substances. Whatever it is with the Commonwealth and Asian Games next year, I hope the relevant parties will raise the awareness to ensure the matter can be prevented.”
Recently, the Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (ASUM) confirmed that diver Wendy Ng Yan Yee has failed a doping test at the KL Sea Games in August.
Wendy tested positive for sibutramine, which is used for slimming, when her B sample was tested at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) lab in New Delhi on Oct 11.
At the KL Sea Games, Wendy won two gold medals in the 3-metre individual springboard and rhythmic 3-metre springboard with Nur Dhabitah Sabri.
Meanwhile Nurul Huda has expressed her interest to help develop Malaysian swimming after retiring 27 years ago.
Nurul Huda, who has been residing in Kuala Lumpur after coming back from Australia since 2003, said: “I have spoken to Mae Chen (Asum secretary-general) on how I can contribute to swimming and I have a couple of things lined up but it’s not official yet.”
Translated from Berita Harian