Indonesia accepts the blame for SEAG doping case
JAKARTA (JP): The National Sports Council (KONI) accepted the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games Federation's decision to withdraw a gold medal won by national lifter Gustar Junianto who had failed a doping test.
Gustar won the gold medal in the men's 62-kilogram class at the just concluded Kuala Lumpur SEA Games. The test on a urine sample found traces of the anabolic steroid nandrolone.
"KONI fully accepts the SEA Games Federation's decision to revoke the medal as we trust the Penang Island-based doping laboratory. KONI will leave it up to the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) to impose appropriate sanctions," KONI's vice chairman Arie Sudewo said on Friday.
"We, however, will support the Indonesian Weightlifting, Powerlifting and Bodybuilding Association (PABBSI) in appealing for the lightest punishment possible considering the circumstances," he added.
The violation carries a two-year ban from taking part in any competition.
Arie was speaking during a press conference held to clarify the doping case which again tarnished the SEA Games and Indonesia's team after a similar finding involving an Indonesian athlete two years ago.
Also present were Dr. Carmen Jahja, who is also a member of the SEA Games Medical Committee and KONI spokeswoman Zoraya Perucha.
"I also expect Gustar and his coach, Imron Rosadi, to quickly put the case behind them. They still have a lot of work to do," said Arie.
"They should not be preoccupied by their guilt, but must improve their performance. Gustar is a young lifter with potential and it is Imron's duty to motivate him."
Arie reminded all athletes, coaches and officials to be more careful before taking any medication.
"We should always consult with our physician as to whether a certain drug contains prohibited substances or not," he said.
Meanwhile, Carmen said Gustar had taken the common cold medication Novalgin but this should not have been a problem as it was not listed as a banned medication or one that contained prohibited substances. It was also accompanied by a medical certificate as required by the regulations.
"I then found out that Gustar regularly drank jamu (herbal medicine) in large quantities. He took Antangin JRG, which is produced by Deltomed Laboratories and Pegal Linu produced by two companies, Ayam Jago and Sido Muncul," she said.
"None of the companies state that their products contain nandrolone. We will cooperate with the Food and Drugs Agency (BPOM) to examine these products."
"Another problem is that Gustar also admitted he regularly consumed jamu that is usually sold door-to-door, so we cannot find out for certain what ingredients it contained."
Budget
In a separate development, treasurer of the Indonesian SEA Games contingent, Abdul Wahid, said he had yet to finalize the calculation of all the budget and spending for the country's participation in the event.
"KONI has yet to receive the remaining Rp 3.5 billion (US$364,000) in sponsorship from Bank Mandiri and energy drink Extra Joss. Bank Mandiri has disbursed Rp 7 billion from its commitment of Rp 10 billion," he said.
KONI had so far raised some Rp 48 billion from all sources and spent some Rp 36 billion, he said.
"The remaining Rp 12 billion will be used to cover several expense allocations for excess baggage, the contingent's uniforms, and hotel accommodation," he added.
According to Wahid, Garuda Indonesia provided a special roundtrip ticket rate of $117 for each contingent member and KONI had paid a deposit of $39,000.
KONI and the flag carrier are still calculating the cost of the excess baggage from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur amounting to some four tons, which mostly consisted of sports equipment. On the way home, KONI paid for the excess baggage charges of RM12,000 in cash.
Abdul also revealed that KONI had disbursed over Rp 2.15 billion from Rp 3.2 billion of bonus to athletes through bank transfer or personalized cheque to ensure the security. (nvn)