KUALA NERUS - Terengganu Malaysia Games (Sukma) athletes have been reminded to be careful with the use of medicines or dietary supplements to avoid getting caught for doping.
State Youth, Sports and Non-Government Development Committee chairman Wan Sukairi Wan Abdullah said the reminder came following a stern warning from the Malaysian Weightlifting Federation (PABM) to state associations that they will be blacklisted from participating in Sukma if found to be involved with the use of banned substances.
He said all athletes and coaches must pay attention and take this matter seriously to avoid problems in the future.
"This reminder is not only for weightlifters, but also the various sports disciplines, that they must be careful when taking medicines, foods and supplements recommended by anyone.
"We have encountered this before when the coaches themselves recommend the supplements and finally everything was a waste as the medals won by the state and athlete were withdrawn," he said after the Terengganu Sukma Contingent gathering here, last night.
At the 2018 Sukma held in Perak, Terengganu lost one gold, one silver and two bronze medals after two of its athletes tested positive for doping.
Meanwhile, Wan Sukairi said Terengganu would be sending about 600 athletes to participate in 29 different sports at the bi-annual event scheduled from Sept 16 to 24.
He said the state was targeting 70 gold medals at this year’s outing, mostly through cycling, canoeing and sailing events.
"We are on the right track to defend the championship won in 2018. Despite the stiff competition we are going to face from Perak, Johor and the Federal Territory, we are optimistic that we will be able to achieve the target based on the athletes’ development report," he said.
He confirmed that national sprinter, Azreen Nabila Alias would not be competing in the upcoming games and the state has accepted this after several appeals to the Sukma Supreme Council to allow the athlete to compete were rejected.
Azreen Nabila's participation in Sukma 2022 was disqualified by the Sukma Supreme Council on the grounds that she had participated in the Olympics in Tokyo last year, but the state government argued that the selection to represent the country was based on a 'wild card' ticket, not on merit. - BERNAMA