If its not a performance enhancing drug than why banned it. I think theres so much musking technology around, might as well allow them and do away with testing and let the best player wins - if you are not talented and do not train hard, no amount of drugs will help! Lets allow everything and let improvement in technology, be it medicines et all, and enjoy the super human effort that it allows and enjoy the games!
Is this article below old ? I thought it could be a good read. The doctor also pointed out pitfalls of the whole doping control mechanism. http://m.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/in-defence-of-lee-chong-wei-dr-lim-heng-hong
^ Tks [MENTION=111740]madcarrot2007[/MENTION] Reposted below... COMMENT, Nov 13 — It was in the mid-80s when I first got involved with dope testing in sports. When I was first instructed to test a group of bodybuilders for using performance-enhancing drugs, I headed off to the library to learn how to go about it. With a little rudimentary knowledge, I sent a letter to a professor at St Thomas’ College in the UK for some radioimmunoassay kits that he sent back to me in quick time. With the help of the radiochemistry department at our Institute of Medical Research, I began this interesting journey into the world of dope testing in sports. That journey took me to several foreign lands, and many competitions over 20 or so years. I was doing the most altruistic work one can imagine, to catch those who cheat in sports. I was involved in doping controls in SEA, the Asian and Commonwealth Games and a few other world championships. Let me say also that the work of a doping control officer is very detailed and simple mistakes can lead to very grave consequences. In 2005 I threw in the towel realising that there are more pitfalls in dope testing in sports that one can imagine. Now after two decades, I have realised that I was involved with something that appears fine on the surface, but in reality flawed to the core. The whole thing about dope testing in sports is nothing more than a giant publicity exercise on the grand stage of world sports, not unlike many of the NGOs in existence fighting for all sorts of imaginary causes and costing millions if not billions of dollars. Everyone talks about how dope testing helps to weed out the cheats and deter athletes from ruining their health. However, not many people know that there are pitfalls in the entire dope control mechanism. I will enumerate some of these pitfalls. Pitfall No. 1 If an athlete wishes to represent his country, it is incumbent upon him to be aware of the hundreds of banned substances including things like foods which he takes on a daily basis such as coffee and supplements. Medical personnel including coaches looking after the athlete have to know everything on the list and to advise accordingly. It’s absolutely impossible to remember all, unless one carries that list with him at all times. Even if he does, he may inadvertently take supplements with banned substances not listed on labels. Asian athletes with their penchant for taking traditional medicines are especially at risk. Pitfall No. 2 There are possibilities of sabotage by other competing athletes by spiking food and drinks with banned substances and though often difficult to prove, it can potentially occur in highly charged rivalries in some sports. Pitfall No. 3 The whole chain of custody requirements is in itself a monumental task to prevent tampering and getting the samples to the testing laboratory in pristine condition. To give you some examples how things can go wrong. The testing official if unknowingly or accidentally touches any of the paraphernalia used in dope testing such as the urine collecting bottles, the results may be disputed as the athlete can complain of possible tampering. If the forms are filled out incorrectly, and the athlete is not briefed adequately by the doping control officer or if the athlete notices some irregularities pertaining to procedures, the athlete can sign the forms in protest, and this in itself can lead to arbitration. What I’m saying is that athletes can trick officials into committing mistakes. Pitfall No. 4 Often personnel like chaperones and other assisting officials are hurriedly coached and I have personally observed that many are ill-prepared to do doping controls. A cheating athlete can easily produce a sample of urine, not his own, but by sleight of hand. To the unsuspecting chaperone, the athlete can produce a sample from his bag, from an accompanying official or even scoop water from the urinal in front of him. He can produce a sample from a pouch inserted in the anus and connected by a catheter leading to the underside of the penis and I’ve personally caught one athlete doing this. Chaperones and officials can be bribed right there in the toilet and I had the experience once, of an athlete who was so desperate to win, he offered me a monetary bribe. I declined. Pitfall No. 5 Positive results can sometimes not be announced and kept in total secret by irresponsible and conniving officials especially when they involve their own athletes. This usually occurs in regional competitions involving the lesser-known sports. Pitfall No. 6 There are all manners of masking or taking masking agents in spite of some masking agents on the list of banned substances. Pitfall No. 7 There is blood doping, gene doping and the use of designer drugs that are not in the list of banned drugs. Designer drugs are continually being produced in many underground laboratories and are difficult to expose. Pitfall No. 8 Growth hormone is said by some to be even more powerful than anabolic steroids and cannot be adequately tested and it is believed that many professional athletes are using them. Irreparable damage Until such time when all these pitfalls are plugged, dope testing in sports is merely appearing to do good but in reality, a poorly disguised public relations exercise doing untold harm to those who are genuinely not out to cheat. Over the years, so many have been penalised for testing positive for banned substances and many of these substances actually do nothing to help in their performances. For those who really plan to cheat by taking substances that will indeed help in their performances, it is an open secret that these cheaters will find a way to cheat no matter what, and many have succeeded without getting caught especially those who apply some of the tactics I just pointed out. Our own athlete, Datuk Lee Chong Wei was inadvertently given a banned substance by sports medicine doctors to treat a medical condition. Assuming the doctors felt that the drug would have “washed out” of the athlete’s system before his next competition, it must be remembered that “washed out” times depend on several factors namely, the dose given, the size of the athlete. Also different people have different metabolisms and hence excretion rates. Chong Wei was given a substance that has no performance enhancing ability, indeed a substance that is disadvantageous to his sport as it weakens muscles and chronic use causes muscles to waste. For this misadventure, he has to suffer irreparable damage to his reputation for the rest of his life. In hindsight, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) should have tested him before he left for the tournament. Indeed they should have also filled up a notification form allowing for certain banned substances to be used for therapeutic purposes to be handed over to the doping control officer at the time of testing. These are some of the lessons that all concerned should learn. I personally hope that this commentary reaches those involved in the arbitration of Chong Wei’s case and if he is to be penalised, it should rightly be just a warning and not a ban. * Dr Lim Heng Hong is a former international sports doping control officer.*
Dr Lim Heng Hong's piece is very revealing, somewhat sensational if those 8 pitfalls are all true. But his concluding argument that LCW should be penalised with just a warning, not a ban, is unlikely to go down well with WADA and to a certain extent BWF. What about those past cases of Dexamethasone abuse for which some of the accused were banned two years or less and already paid the price for it? Retroactive acquittals, public apologies and pay them fair and adequate compensation? Some or many of them may justifiably feel it's too late though better late than never. It'd be too complicated and messy. I feel if Dexamethasone is "disadvantageous to his sport as it weakens muscles and chronic use causes muscles to waste" and has no performance-enhancing ability at all directly or indirectly, then the dissenting medical experts should first clamour for it to be delisted from the Prohibited List in- or out-of-competition for badminton. Making an exception for a single particular athlete without first proving his innocence may not cut it as it will affect past and future cases. It may invite accusations of favoritism or bias towards him. Besides, whether "LCW was inadvertently given a banned substance by sports medicine doctors to treat a medical condition" is subject to investigation and careful deliberation, a simple assertion won't do for WADA and BWF. In other words, if you make an exception for one, you have to make an exception for all. It's disconcerting to read Dr Lim charging dope testing in sport is "in reality flawed to the core". So what do we do about the weaknesses and abuses of the flawed dope testing and control system of WADA? Discard it altogether? Or do even more to address the problems, plug the loopholes, find solutions to improve the system in a constant effort to make it better and better ? The answer is obvious. Not to do so would be catastrophic for the entire world of sport as the true spirit of sportsmanship, the health of athletes, the fair play and ethics of sport competition will be severely compromised with dire consequences. I hope Dr Lim in his desire to have LCW exonerated bears in mind the larger and more important goals of WADA to uphold the highest integrity and cleanliness of sport. True, the dragnet of WADA may not be able to catch all drug-cheats, even unwittingly allowing quite a few to escape as you averred, or, worse still, wrong a few innocent ones as you feared LCW is one of them but all the more that should mean we redouble our efforts to the best of our abilities to ensure the guilty ones are brought to justice while innocent ones freed. I trust BWF will give the accused a fair hearing and mete out a just verdict accordingly. Let us hope for the best in LCW's case.
KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Chong Wei has learnt a painful lesson from his doping scandal. And the 32-year-old shuttler, who is currently restricted to training at the Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara, hoped his experience would serve as an example for others so that no one would undergo the same ordeal. His advice is simple – always be careful and know what is being administered in your body. On Tuesday, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) suspended Chong Wei from all tournaments after both his A and B samples were found positive for banned substance dexamethasone. Chong Wei, who failed a dope test at the World Championships in Copenhagen on Aug 30, is banned until a hearing is carried out by BWF, most likely in the first week of December. He faces a two-year ban. Chong Wei said that if he had a chance to turn back the clock, he would have gone for a medical screening before the World Championships. “I trusted the doctor completely ... after all, I was just getting treatment for my injury. “I am not an expert in all these medical stuff. I just know the number of feathers in a shuttle and what tension is needed on a racquet,” said Chong Wei after sparring with the national shuttlers on Monday. “Now, as I look back, I would have surely done a medical test before going to Copenhagen. “It’s too late now and all I can do is wait for the hearing. “My case should be an eye opener for others. “I am sure the National Sports Institute will now be extra careful on what is given to athletes. “And I hope all athletes will take the trouble to know what kind of medical assistance they are getting during rehabilitation. “I hope they will learn from my case.” On a lighter note, when asked about his new braces, Chong Wei jested: “I got it fixed last week. “If I don’t get to continue my badminton career, at least I’ll look handsome so that I can go into acting.” http://www.thestar.com.my/Sport/Badminton/2014/11/17/Chong-Wei-Looking-back-I-should-have/
KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Chong Wei is appreciative that some of his sponsors have stood by him. He said his main sponsors Yonex and Gear have recently renewed their contracts with him. None of the others, including 100Plus and Maxis, have pulled out. “My contract with some of the sponsors is set to come to an end this year but I am grateful that they have extended the contract even during my tough times,” said Chong Wei. Meanwhile, Chong Wei said the return of Denmark’s Morten Frost to the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) fold after more than a decade is a welcome move. “Morten spotted me during one of the junior competitions and gave me a place in the BAM’s junior programme. I was 17 then and had just won the national boys’ Under-15 title. I am happy he is coming back to help us again,” said Chong Wei. Frost, engaged by the Youth and Sports Ministry, is expected to start work as the technical director in March. The former All-England champion was the national coaching director during his stint from 1997 to 2000. http://www.thestar.com.my/Sport/Bad...ng-Wei-glad-his-sponsors-are-standing-by-him/
KUALA LUMPUR: The role has reversed for the slimmer Lee Chong Wei. On Monday, the 32-year-old shuttler, who has lost two kilos, was busy sparring with the national players at Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara. “It’s funny how things have changed. The juniors used to spar with me but now I am helping them prepare for their upcoming tournaments,” said Chong Wei with a smile. “Seniors like Liew Daren and Chong Wei Feng are competing in the Axiata Cup (Nov 26-Dec 7) while the other back-up players are preparing for the Macau Open (Nov 25-30). This is my time to help them.” Yesterday, he pushed back-up shuttler Tan Kian Meng to the distance and despite his lack of training, Chong Wei won all his matches. Chong Wei, who was in jovial mood throughout the session, said that he was making full use of his time while waiting for the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to set a date for his much-awaited hearing. Chong Wei said that the “sparring” exercise reminded him of his days as a junior player. “There were many good senior singles players. Juniors like me used to get a chance to spar with them once a month. And I always wait for that session with great anticipation ... it is the only chance to see where I stand against them,” he said. “I remember almost all of them – Ong Ewe Hock, Yong Hock Kin, Wong Choong Hann, James Chua, Jason Wong, Roslin Hashim, Ramesh Nathan. Sairul Amar Ayob, Ismail Saman, Lee Tsuen Seng and many more. We had depth at that time.” On the hearing, Chong Wei said he hoped for a lifeline so that he can continue his quest for a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. “It has been unbelievably tough for me these past week but I am trying my best to handle it. I am anxiously waiting for the hearing. Sometimes, I feel really down but the support from my fans have lifted my spirit. “I saw a huge banner along the roadside. It read ‘do not give up, we believe in you’. I have also received other positive messages too. “I do not want to end my career this way (being banned),” added Chong Wei. http://www.thestar.com.my/Sport/Bad...brother-Chong-Wei-does-his-bit-for-teammates/
THE temporary suspension by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Lee Chong Wei will not stop the World No 1 from giving morale support and sharing his experience with the players from the Malaysian team at next month’s Axiata Cup. The three-time All England champion admitted that his return to training recently is mainly to help teammates like Chong Wei Feng, Liew Daren and Tan Kian Meng prepare for tournaments. “I am helping them and also keeping myself fit. They should not be too worried about my problem,” said Chong Wei, who sparred with Kian Meng at Juara Stadium in Bukit Kiara yesterday. The 32-year-old had delayed his return to training after the Incheon Asian Games to last Wednesday after he was notified by BWF that he had failed a dope test early last month. Chong Wei tested positive for the banned anti-inflammatory dexamethasone, for which he could face an eventual suspension of up to two years. He has been provisionally banned from competing in tournaments till he faces a hearing which is expected to take place early next month. “I will help anyone in the team to prepare for tournaments, including Wei Feng,” said the two-time Olympic silver medallist after Wei Feng had stated that he felt lonely in tournaments and in training in his mentor’s absence. Chong Wei, however, declined to comment about his impending BWF hearing. “I cannot comment about the issue as it is sensitive. We will wait for BWF to decide on the dates,” Chong Wei added. In Chong Wei’s absence, Malaysia will depend on Wei Feng and Daren in the singles at the Axiata Cup, which offers a prize purse of US$1 million (RM3.3 million). The BA of Malaysia has listed 12 players for the mixed team competition, and it is the first time that Chong Wei has been left out since the tournament’s inception in 2012. The preliminary rounds will be held in Indonesia on Nov 27-Dec 3, while the semi-finals and final will be in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 6-7. http://www.nst.com.my/node/53858
I read this piece of news before eagle posted and found it weird too. I think it should be "I was 15 then and had just won the national boys’ Under-17 title".
Could it be that his use of the word "just" was meant to mean "only" rather than "recently"? I.e. At the time when he was 17, he had ONLY won the under15 title?
Yes, hindsight is 20/20...but unfortunately an athlete doesn't know when he'll get tested... that's why it's random. I don't know what kind of malpractice insurance this ortho doctor has but it better be comprehensive...
nokh88, if i am not mistaken he only knew how to beat players when he was 17 and when he was 15, usually the teacher or his coach always give him first the bus ticket back to penang btw, i am surprised you didn't get alany's drift in his reply to eagle's post
As for the sponsors not abandoning LCW at this time, that's only to be expected. They won't do so before the BWF Panel Hearing but continue to show their moral support in the hope that he's exonerated. Once the guilty verdict is pronounced and a two-year or so ban is slapped on him, that's it, the contract termination clause comes into force. The sponsors are just making business decisions. The day of reckoning is drawing near. Let's hope for the best. The fact that BWF is taking longer than 21 days to decide on the hearing may be a sign that they are facing a dilemma. That's just my opinion.
Good to see LCW keeping up his spirit, better to start making future plans should the worst case scenario happens. He can consider coaching, not just for MAS but other countries as well.
