BAM to hold crisis meeting on Sunday over doping issue

Members of the Badminton Association Malaysia (BAM) council are demanding answers following Tuesday's revelation that Malaysia's top badminton player, Datuk Lee Chong Wei, had failed a dope test. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli, October 24, 2014.Members of the Badminton Association Malaysia (BAM) council are demanding answers following Tuesday's revelation that Malaysia's top badminton player, Datuk Lee Chong Wei, had failed a dope test. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli, October 24, 2014.The Badminton Association Malaysia (BAM) will hold an emergency council meeting this Sunday as bewildered council members look for answers following claims that a top shuttler had failed a dope test.BAM has been caught up in a storm following Tuesday's revelation by TV3 and The Star that Malaysia's top badminton player, Datuk Lee Chong Wei, had failed a dope test.He was reportedly tested positive for a banned substance following a random drug test at the August World Championships in Denmark.Putrajaya has so far refused to confirm the identity of the shuttler, saying it would be unfair to name the athlete until the “B” sample results were out.However, The Star reported that BAM council members were fed up with speculation over the identity of the national player."Council members wants answers and they want it fast," a council member told the English daily, hence the ECM on Sunday.BAM has so far been silent on the matter although it has been widely speculated that it was Lee who failed the random dope test.Lee was alleged to have been tested positive for the banned substance dexamethasone.It is not a performance-enhancing drug but a type of steroid medication with anti-inflammatory effects usually used to aid an athlete’s rehabilitation.Yesterday, one of BAM’s council members, told The Star that they wanted answers instead of being left in the dark.“We have urged the president to call for an ECM because we want to know more about two issues – doping and match-fixing,” said the council member.“We want to know about the athlete who has been tested positive for doping. It is not fair to implicate Lee without any confirmation or official announcement.“If our player is guilty, we want to know who is responsible for it. Was it the player himself or the people who had given him the treatment or were there some other factors?”The meeting will be chaired by BAM president Tan Sri Tengku Mahaleel Tengku Arif.
Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin was reported to have met the athlete, Utusan Malaysia reported yesterday.Besides doping, badminton has also been rocked by allegations of match fixing, which purportedly involves a Malaysian fixer.
Two Danish players – Hans-Kristian Vittinghus and Kim Astrup Sorensen – had filed a complaint with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).The Danes claimed that a bookie, believed to be a Malaysian, had asked them to throw their matches during the Japan Open in June.Last week, BWF released a statement saying that they had lodged a police report on the matter. – October 24, 2014.