KUCHING: There are no plans for Sarawak to have an anti-doping laboratory to test athletes for banned performance enhancing drugs despite the state planning to co-host a number of international sporting competitions in the years ahead, says Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
"Maybe in future, we might need to," the state Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister said at a press conference to announce the Sarawak National Sports Integrity Conference (SNSIC) here on Wednesday (Sept 23).
He said for the time being, the doping controls provided by the Anti-Doping Agency Malaysia (Adamas) are sufficient.
Adamas will send a team to Kuching to collect samples for every international, regional or national competition, with the testing to be done in Kuala Lumpur.
Abdul Karim said the 18th Malaysia Games (Sukma) hosted by Sarawak in 2016 were clean with “not even a single case”.
Adamas director Dr Azril Syazwan Mohd Ali will be one of the speakers during the sports integrity conference jointly organised by the Sarawak Integrity and Ombudsman Unit, Sarawak Premier's Department, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, together with the state Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Ministry.
The one-day conference, starting Sept 28, will be followed by two days of technical workshops specifically designed to bring together key stakeholders, particularly those from government procurement and administrative agencies, enforcement bodies, legal professionals, sports association administrators and international-level organisations.
Abdul Karim said organising prestigious and large-scale sporting events often involves high-value procurement, substantial financial expenditure and coordinating multiple agencies.
"Without strong controls and integrity systems, the sports ecosystem faces various serious threats, including corruption, match-fixing, illegal betting, drug abuse and governance non-compliance."
He said the conference is particularly timely, given that Sarawak will co-host the 2027 SEA Games.
"We not only want to be an excellent host in terms of event management and facilities, but also aim to set a new benchmark in sports governance based on integrity and transparency," Abdul Karim added.
Between 400 and 500 delegates are expected to attend the conference and 100 for the technical workshops.
