Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
NEIL FRANKLAND
Associated Press
DOHA, Qatar - The blame in doping cases should not stop with athletes, a high-ranking Olympic official said in the wake of the fourth positive test at the Asian Games.
"Before we point the finger to say who's committed this or who's doing that, we have to look at all aspects. The education, the culture and the economical aspects of these cases," Husain Al Musallam, Olympic Council of Asia director general, said Monday.
Weightlifter Oo Mya Sanda of Myanmar was stripped of her 165-pound class silver medal after testing positive for a banned metabolite of an anabolic agent.
On Sunday, two weightlifters from Uzbekistan tested positive for banned substances and were disqualified. Just 24 hours earlier, Myanmar's Than Kyi Kyi was identified as the first doping case of the games, disqualified after testing positive to a banned diuretic - which can be masking agent for steroids.
The Uzbek weightlifters were Elmira Ramileva, who placed fifth in the women's 152-pound division and tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol; and Alexander Urinov, who was seventh in the men's 231-pound class and tested positive for cannabis.
Despite the continuing positive doping tests, Al Musallam maintains the athlete's should not bear all the blame.
"You will find in a lot of regions, for these athletes to be recognized, or be rewarded, or get a better education or living, the coach or officials try their best to prepare her to compete at a high level," he said. "And they have the wrong information and use the banned substance."
Al Musallam said the OCA has been actively working with member National Olympic Committees to educate them as to which drugs and supplements are banned and the anti-doping rules, offering advice on where they can find additional information on the Internet for each of the international federations and the World Anti-Doping Agency.
"We try to help and identify and inform the national Olympic committees and the international federations on further action they have to take by themselves," Al Musallam said.
"But from our side we have to say 'this guy is guilty, he committed this violation, we cannot accept him in our games'. It's up the international federation to take further action and the national Olympic committee to find what is the real problem in their country."
Weightlifting, in particular, has been plagued by doping scandals in recent years.
India did not compete in the Doha weightlifting competition after being sanctioned by the IWF for persistent positive doping tests. It turned down the opportunity to attend the Asian Games, despite the offer of being allowed to compete in return for paying a fine.
The Iranian team, including two-time Olympic heavyweight champion and Doha gold medal-winner Hossein Rezazadeh, competed here only after paying a fine to the IWF in lieu of suspension after adverse findings against some members of its team.
The doping cases here attract sanctions up to two-year suspensions from all competition.
Al Musallam defended weightlifting as a sport, instead blaming officials and coaches for giving athletes bad advice.
"We cannot blame weightlifting as a sport because we discover a positive case," he said. "Weightlifting is a good sport, but some cheaters or individuals give the wrong advice to athletes.
"We should support the athletes and encourage the maximum number of youth to join the sport, and meanwhile we have to find the cheaters."