National Sports Institute (NSI) chief executive officer Datuk Dr Ramlan Aziz said while athletes claimed ignorance, the integrity of those supplying such drugs come into question.
“There are two sides to the coin. We speak about athletes being ignorant but there are also officials or coaches who lack integrity by supplying such drugs. They know NSI is the only body that prescribes medicine,” said Ramlan.
“I’ve said this many times before. The athletes and even coaches should come to us when it comes to drugs, medication and supplement which are not prescribed by us.”
Ramlan added there was always documentation when dealing with NSI, either in the form of a prescription given to the athlete or a letter written to the national association.
Ramlan also took an indirect swipe at the Malaysian Athletics Federation. “Athletes like Datuk Lee Chong Wei and Datuk Nicol David always come to us when they are preparing for a tournament. They know what they should take and what they shouldn’t.
“We’ve been around for ages. We are the institute that monitors such things. You don’t need to conduct a two-day seminar to know that.”
Ramlan concluded it was not up to NSI alone but other parties including the National Sports Council, Olympic Council of Malaysia and the national associations to educate the athletes and coaches about the dangers of drug abuse.
by Haresh Deol
MALAY MAIL
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