Doping: 1,500 Samples Tested During Asian Games

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 (Bernama) – With the commitment to curb doping offences, nearly 1,500 samples were tested during the 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta and Palembang from August 18 to September 2. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Medical and Anti-Doping Committee chairman Dr M. Jegathesan said the samples collected until the final day of the multi-sport event were still being tested at the Doping Analysis Laboratory in Doha, Qatar. As of Thursday, OCA had announced two doping offenders detected at the 18th Asian Games. “The number of samples tested is almost equal to previous edition at Incheon, South Korea. We are still awaiting more results. “We will only make a full report on the matter after all tests are completed. In the meantime when the process for each case is completed, we will announce the case,” said Dr Jegathesan who is also a former athlete when contacted by Bernama. The former Asian sprint king said apart from the number of samples tested, the use of intelligence and risk rating to target test also plays a pivotal role in identifying the use of banned substances among the athletes. OCA announced the first doping case of the 2018 Asiad on Aug 24, days after the Games was declared open on Aug 18, involving a Turkmenistan wrestler, Rustem Nazarov who competed in men’s 57 kilogramme freestyle. The 24-year-old wrestler was disqualified from the Games after testing positive for diuretic furosemide, a masking agent, during a pre-games test. Thursday, OCA stripped the gold medal from Mongolian reigning world champion, Orkhon Purevdorj in women’s 62kg freestyle wrestling event after she was tested positive for anabolic steroid during an in-competition test. It was not a surprise when it was revealed six out of 10 doping cases at the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) in Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat were committed by wrestlers just last month. A total of six doping cases were identified during the previous Asian Games four years ago, including Malaysia’s wushu exponent Tai Cheau Xuen, whose gold medal in the women’s nanquan was stripped after she was tested for sibutramine. -- BERNAMA