Kumar to know fate over doping violation in three weeks
KUALA LUMPUR: Suspended national hockey goalkeeper S. Kumar (pic)will know his fate over his doping violation next month.
Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said the International Hockey Federation (FIH) promised a verdict on Kumar by April 5.
Subahan is hopeful of a favourable outcome as the national team are desperate to have the 38-year-old for the Jakarta Asian Games from Sept 18-Oct 2.
“The FIH have informed us that they are evaluating Kumar’s appeal,” he said.
“We want the case to be solved quickly so that Kumar can move on. Kumar’s return will be a major boost ahead of the Asian Games.”
Kumar is provisionally suspended for two years after testing positive for sibutramine during a group match against Oman in the Asia Cup hockey tournament in Dhaka, Bangladesh, last October.
Sibutramine is an appetite suppressant, which has been banned by the World Anti Doping Agency. It’s a substance commonly found in slimming products.
Kumar helped Malaysia finish fourth in the World Hockey League Semi-Finals in London last October, which assured the team a berth in the World Cup in India in November. He was named the tournament’s best goalkeeper.
Meanwhile, the MHC said the target for Stephen Van Huizen’s team at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games from April 4-15 was to beat higher-ranked teams.
The world No. 12 Malaysia will head to Australia as the sixth-best ranked Commonwealth nation behind Australia (No. 1), India (No. 6), England (No. 7), New Zealand (No. 9) and Canada (No. 11).
Subahan said their ultimate goal was to nick the Asian Games gold in August in Indonesia.
“India and Pakistan (No. 13) are standing in our way for the Asiad gold.”
The team’s preparation for the Asiad received a boost yesterday when the National Sports Institute (NSI) provided them with cutting-edge technology.
The NSI presented two sport analysis softwares – the “Catapult Sport System” and the “Sportscode Performance Analysis V11”.
The Catapult Sport System is a GPS athlete tracking solution that combines sports specific GPS engine, accelerometers and heart rate with fitness, rehabilitation and tactical tools. It would be able to identify intensity efforts that characterise team sports.
The Sportscode Performance Analysis V11 offers sport professionals a chance to evaluate behaviours, both their own and their competitors’, by providing them with quality information to make better decisions on the field.