New anti-doping lab slated for Bukit Jalil

SERI KEMBANGAN: The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) will set up an anti-doping laboratory in Bukit Jalil within three years.
Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the nation needed an anti-doping laboratory as it was cheaper to do the test locally rather than outsource the samples abroad.
“It will be more cost-effective to test samples domestically as the cost of outsourcing to Wada’s New Delhi lab is US$200 (RM725) per sample. To do it locally will be only RM500,” he added.
He said the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) had consented to the setting up of the new laboratory with it meeting the requirements and standards.
Speaking at the Anti-Doping Agency of Malaysia (Adamas) national summit, Khairy said the previous Penang-based laboratory at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) had to be closed down because it did not meet Wada standards.
“We have never performed doping tests on all our athletes. So far, only 50% of the group sports athletes have undergone urine tests,” he said, adding that the results would be released soon.
“From the samples tested, initial reports showed all of them negative. However, we are still waiting for eight more results sent abroad,” he added.
Khairy hoped this move will prevent occurrences of doping among athletes as he was serious on combating substance abuse.
He is also of the view that Adamas should be wholly autonomous from the National Sports Institute (ISN) citing “governance issues.”
“One of ISN’s roles is to provide medication to athletes. It would be unsuitable for ISN to handle Adamas’ administration, given its function as an enforcer against doping in sports,” said Khairy.
At the summit, all the national sporting associations signed Adamas’ new code of zero tolerance on doping and substance abuse.