Paralympians maintain dope-free record — Adamas

KUALA LUMPUR: They may be physically lacking. But don’t expect them to go looking for a quick-fix to get results.

The national Paralympic athletes deserve nothing but praise for continuing to be drug-free as they fight to bring recognition to the country on the biggest sporting arena.

Malaysian Anti-Doping Agency (Adamas) director-general Datuk Dr Ramlan Abdul Aziz said the Para athletes were more serious in the fight against doping as they knew that drugs would destroy their careers.

He also praised the Para athletes for always being wary of prohibited substances and the danger the drugs could cause to their lives.

‘’Para athletes are not exempted from doping tests but, until today, there has not been a single positive result. We pay more attention to medical monitoring among Para athletes.

‘’I applaud the Para athletes for taking up sports with the right intentions and for always caring about their performances. They know their own physical shortcomings and that’s why they want to make sure their career is long and not interrupted by any problems,’’ he told Bernama after being interviewed on the Upsound programme on the Bernama News Channel.

Dr Ramlan said that it was easy to manage the Para athletes, who have been told to avoid taking banned substances if they wanted to head in the right direction and represent the country for a long time.

He hoped that this awareness would be maintained so that they would be a role models to up-andcoming Para athletes.

“I admit that it is easier to handle Para athletes. I see a high level of discipline in them when they train. We can see that their determination is different from able-bodied athletes … maybe they realise that they lack something in themselves. That’s why they do not want to waste the time and opportunity given to them.’’