A national badminton athlete has been suspended for three years from any involvement in sport activities after being found positive for a prohibited substance, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports said in a statement yesterday.
The result of an out-of-competition testing by the Brunei Darussalam Anti-Doping Committee (BDADC) before the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia has come out positive or also referred to as Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF). Confirmation of the test results has been received from the anti-doping laboratory in Doha, Qatar for the analysis of the badminton athlete’s sample which reported the discovery of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS), a prohibited substance under Class S1.1.
Drostanolone is listed under the list of substances prohibited from being used inside and outside of competition by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Following a detailed and transparent investigation, the BDADC decided to suspend the athlete from any participation in official sports competitions at the national, regional and international levels both in the country and overseas including any training or coaching the athlete in badminton for four years.
However, with the athlete’s cooperation and early confession, the duration of suspension has been reduced by one year making the suspension period to be a three-year term from June 24, 2023 to June 24, 2026. Medals, points and prizes have also been stripped.
As the Principle of Strict Liability applies to athletes, the athlete is fully responsible to the substance found in the urine sample taken during the doping control testing regardless whether it is intentionally or unintentionally.
Therefore, it is important for every athlete and the athlete’s supporting staff to know the rules and understand their responsibilities under the World Anti-Doping Code. Subsequently, based on the Brunei Darussalam Anti Doping Rules 2021 and the International Standard for Results Management (ISRM), the Brunei Darussalam National Badminton Association (BDNBA) is required to pay back benefits provided to athletes at the expense of the government during the Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia including daily allowance amounting BND300 and airfare totalling BND1,930.
The BDADC called involved parties in sport to always be vigilant regarding matters involving doping in sports. – Fadhil Yunus
