No action against cordyceps supplier - Khairy
KHAIRY: It is just an accident...There is no intent on anybody's part. - File pic
No action will be taken against the supplier of the cordyceps supplement which was found tainted with dexamethasone causing former world number one badminton player Datuk Lee Chong Wei to fail a doping test, according to Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
He said dexamethasone which was classified as a prohibited substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) can be used out of competition.
"No, not really...Dexamethasone is allowed out of competition you see and I do not think the medicine supplier deliberately put it in as it has never happened before.
"It is just an accident...There is no intent on anybody's part," he told reporters after launching ASEAN Village at a shopping centre here Thursday.
The 32-year-old ace was suspended for eight months by the Badminton World Federation for the doping offence at the World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark in August last year.
However, the suspension which took effect on August 30 last year ends today.
Chong Wei was found guilty of the anti-doping infringement under regulation 2.1 of the BWF Anti-Doping Regulations (2009).
According to the 12-page report of the BWF hearing panel, the banned substance was found in the gelatin capsule of the cordyceps supplement taken by Chong Wei. He has been taking the supplement since he was 13 years old on the advice of his mother.
Khairy also said he respected Chong Wei's decision to keep the supplement supplier secret.
"Chong Wei wants to protect the identity of the individual...Yes I know who it is," he said.
Later, speaking to reporters after closing a joint workshop on corruption by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Sports Commissioner's Office (SCO) at Dewan Perdana, Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN), Bukit Jalil here, Khairy said NSAs (National Sports Associations) that did not conduct themselves with integrity would negatively impact their athletes.
He said NSAs must be run according to the highest ethical standards and must be transparent in their dealings, especially in financial matters.
He added that the two bodies (MACC and SCO) would be coming up with various programmes to ensure all NSAs operated above board.
MACC Commissioner Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed, who was also present, said a lack of understanding of laws related to corruption was the main reason why few came forward to complain about graft in sports bodies.
"NSAs should have a whistleblower policy in striving for greater integrity," he said.
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