Claims that Cheau Xuen used Sibutramine doesn't make sense - Khairy

Claims that wushu exponent Tai Cheau Xuen who had failed a dope test after winning a gold medal in the Asian Games had used Sibutramine does not make sense said Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

Khairy said according wushu coach Thoong Foong, Cheau Xuen was a very honest exponent who doesn't take any supplements that are banned.

"Furthermore, Sibutramine will only reduce the appetite of those who consumed the substance while Cheau Xuen's event is not a weight category and therefore she does not have to reduce here weight. It really does not make sense," he told reporters at his office, here today.

The 24-year-old who won the women’s nanquan and nandao all-round event on Sept 20, to give Malaysia’s its first gold medal of the Games, was expelled by the Asian Games organisers, allegedly for failing a drug test.

The organisers claimed that her urine sample contained Sibutramine, a substance banned by the World Anti Doping Agency (Wada).

Yesterday Khairy had said that he was concerned with the chain of custody (CoC) in the test and planned to file an appeal with the Court of Arbitration in Sport (CAS) ad hoc committee in Incheon.

Khairy said he was informed that the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) had sent a letter to Malaysian contingent's chef-de-mission Datuk Daniyal Balagopal Abdullah, admitting the CoC had not followed the standard operating procedure but had said the flaws in procedure was (not material to the result).

"To me that is denying the rights of the athlete and raises questions about the accountability and integrity of the doping process carried out by the OCA," he said.

Khairy said he was not questioning the decision to withdraw the medal but raising concern over the procedure that led to the testing of the urine sample that was collected.