Updates
Sources – Star Online (KL)
The BWF has released a statement via its website on Monday that Malaysian badminton player, Lee Chong Wei, has received an eight-month sanction for an anti-doping regulation violation.
As was expected, the penalty has been backdated to the “date of sample collection, thereby ending his sanction on 30 April, 2015, and making Chong Wei eligible to resume his badminton career on Friday 1 May, 2015.”
This means Chong Wei will get to play in three upcoming majors – Sudirman Cup in Dongguan from May 10-17, SEA Games in Singapore in June and the World Championships in Jakarta in August.
The BWF press release further stated: “Given arguments and evidence put forward by Chong Wei’s legal team at the hearing in the Netherlands, the panel is convinced this is not a case of doping with intent to cheat.”
However, the panel found that he had been “negligent”, but with the degree of negligence being “rather light” as “he did not realise he had ingested a Specified Substance (Dexamethasone)”.
At 3.30pm Monday, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin made an official announcement on the matter at his office in Putrajaya, which Chong Wei attended.
The minister said that after speaking to the player, Chong Wei had agreed to resume his badminton career at “the highest level” and also indicated his desire to play in the Sudirman Cup and SEA Games.
Chong Wei was tested positive for banned substance dexamethasone during the World Championships in Copenhagen last August.
