Stringent measures: OCM president Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria wants every Philippines SEA Games-bound athlete to undergo a doping test.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) are hoping that the national contingent will enjoy a doping-free stint in the Philippines SEA Games from Nov 30-Dec 11.
A total of 681 athletes - 394 men and 287 women - will compete in 51 out of the 55 sports contested in the 30th edition of the Games.
OCM president Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria wants every athlete to undergo a doping test conducted by the Malaysia Anti Doping Agency (Adamas) before the Games.
"The Malaysian contingent is big and I hope Adamas will have the time and resources to test all the athletes. But for a start, they focus on athletes in high-risk sports, " said Norza, after concluding a three-day SEA Games selection committee meeting yesterday.
"We'll leave it to Adamas on how they want to reach out to all but we want to make sure that it'll be a doping-free participation for Malaysia in the Games, " said Norza.
Malaysia have been plagued with doping issues in the last few SEA Games. In the last edition in 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, diver Wendy Ng was tested positive for sibutramine.
Meanwhile, Norza said they have divided the Category B athletes into two groups - B1 and B2. Category B athletes fund their own trip to the Games.
"I've also reminded the associations that they should not burden their Category B by asking them to do crowd funding. The associations have the responsibility to look for funds for their athletes, " he said.
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