KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 31 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia is weighed down by limited choices in selecting athletes for the 2023 SEA Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from May 5 to 17.
The Malaysian Weightlifting Federation (MWF) vice-president Amirul Hamizan Ibrahim said it landed in this predicament after weightlifters from Terengganu and Perlis were caught doping last year.
“We understand they are still facing the doping issue so we have to ignore athletes from these two states for now.
“So far the Anti-Doping Agency of Malaysia (ADAMAS) has not meted out any punishment so we are unsure of the athletes’ status,” he said after the Sports Working Committee meeting with the National Sports Council (NSC) here recently.
Three weightlifters — two from Terengganu state and one from Perlis state – including a 16-year-old athlete, had tested positive for banned substances Metandienone, Tebutaline and Oxymetholone before the 20th Malaysia Games (Sukma) in September last year.
Following that, MWF withdrew from organising weightlifting in the 20th Sukma, forcing NSC to take over that role.
Yesterday, MWF set an initial target of two bronze medals in Phnom Penh, through weightlifters Muhammad Erry Hidayat and Muhammad Hafiz Shamsuddin.
— NNN-BERNAMA
