PBSI waiting for result of Sigit's second drug test
PBSI waiting for result of Sigit's second drug test
JAKARTA (JP): The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI)
will not take any action against doubles specialist Sigit
Budiarto until the International Badminton Federation (IBF)
announces the result of a second test on a urine sample taken
from him in August.
Top PBSI officials appeared defensive during a media
conference on Wednesday and did not attempt to explain what might
have caused Sigit to fail a dope test at the Singapore Open in
August.
"I'm disappointed with the IBF because they violated their own
rules. They said the positive result of a test on Sigit's first
sample was confidential, so why has it been made public?"
Mangombar Ferdinand Siregar, the association's deputy chairman in
charge of athletes development, said.
"They have disobeyed the presumption of innocence for our
athlete," he added.
The IBF announced on Tuesday that the test had detected
nandrolone, an anabolic steroid which is on the IOC list of
banned substances. When making the announcement, the IBF admitted
it was unusual to make any public statement before the results of
a mandatory second test were known.
"It appears that the information has already become known
outside IBF and PBSI," the statement said.
Sigit won the Singapore Open doubles with his long-time
partner Chandra Wijaya. The pair also collected the World
Championship title in 1997.
The world badminton body informed Sigit and the PBSI of the
positive result of the test on Sept. 23, one day before he
received an IOC scholarship along with Candra, women's doubles
player Deyana Lomban and boys' singles player Taufik Hidayat.
Sigit is the third Indonesian badminton player to be linked to
drug abuse after men's singles player Hastomo Arbi in the late
1980s and women's singles player Minarti Timur in 1991. The
latter receive a one year ban from the IBF.
Siregar said the PBSI has named a team to attend the second
sample test on Thursday morning. But he refused to identify the
officials or where the test would be conducted.
"We are out to defend him because he is our boy. We will also
ask the IBF to explain this uncommon practice, no matter what the
result of the second test is," said Siregar.
"We are still convinced that Sigit did not consume any kind of
medicine without first consulting a doctor," Siregar added.
Pending the announcement of the result of the "B" sample test,
Sigit will continue to follow his usual routine, Siregar said.
He said the 22-year-old doubles player would continue with
preparations for his next tournament in Hong Kong in November and
the 13th Asian Games in Bangkok in December, the continent's
major sporting event, at which the doubles team of Sigit and
Chandra were expected to win a gold medal.
Siregar said PBSI chairman Subagyo Hadisiswoyo would disclose
the results of the test and announce Sigit's punishment in the
event of the test showing a positive result.
PBSI doctor Michael Triangto said Sigit was never keen to take
any medicine, even if he was unwell.
"I have known Sigit since 1996. If I give him medicine for
five days, he'll only take it for the first day. He'll cure
himself in his own way, by eating good food and taking plenty
rest," he said.
Separately, Sigit, a native of Yogyakarta, said he drank
herbal medicine recommended by his masseur to gain weight on the
eve of the Singapore Open.
"But then I suffered an allergic reaction to something and
took medicine from Ricky (Subagja). He used to consume it and he
has never failed a dope test," Sigit said as quoted by Antara.
Ricky won the 1996 Olympic gold medal with doubles partner
Rexy Mainaky. The pair triumphed again in the Danish Open on
Sunday. (yan)