Heavier issues for MWF
Three more weightlifters test positive for doping
KUALA LUMPUR: There seems no end to doping cases involving weightlifting in the country.
Three national weightlifters – Muhamad Hakimie Haikal Nordin, Muhd Zaidi Nordin and Ronny Jesos – have tested positive for doping after they were caught in surprise testing done by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF).
The Malaysian Weightlifting Federation (MWF) made the announcement yesterday, bringing the number of positive doping cases to four so far this year.
Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Mohamad Fazrul Azrie Mohdad recently failed a pre-games doping screening and will have to return the medal he won in Gold Coast last month.
Like Fazrul, the three athletes with ages ranging from 16-21returned positive for the doping substance stanozolol.
This does not include 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Hafifi Mansor, who tested positive for the anabolic steroid oxymetholone at the Australian Open in Melbourne in March last year.
Hafifi did not take part in the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and was banned for four years.
The athletes now face a maximum ban of four years as anabolic steroid is a performance- enhancing substance under the World Anti Doping Agency list.
MWF acting secretary Abu Hanapah Ismail said the identities of the athletes will only be revealed after their B samples are tested but IWF have already released the names on their official website.
“They are with the national back-up squad. IWF did the tests on March 28 when they made surprise checks on the national team in Bukit Jalil.
“They wanted to check on the weightlifters going for the Commonwealth Games but the seniors were training in Vietnam at that time, so they did the tests on the juniors.
“The three athletes have requested for their B samples to be tested. The testing will be done in Germany and we hope to know the outcome within two weeks.
“We can only decide on the next steps to take after the B sample is known,” he said.