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 Mohd Shah Firdaus Sahrom, 20, is fighting an 18-month ban after the
anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone was found in his system at the
Asian Championships in Kazakhstan a year ago.
Lee, who has won over 55 titles and is revered at home, was handed
only a backdated eight-month ban by the Badminton World Federation
on Monday after successfully arguing he unknowingly took the
substance via a contaminated food supplement. The 32-year-old was
free to return to competition on Friday.
Shah faces an appeal hearing at the Malaysian National Cycling
Federation on May 9 as he tries to overturn the suspension for
having the non-performance drug, which is only banned in
competition, in his system.
He claimed it must have come from an injection he received from a
National Sports Institute medic, with the cyclist given a boost by
the Youth and Sports Ministry ordering a second investigation.
"In Shah's case he says he was administered with an injection during
the Asian Championships in Kazakhstan, but the SOP (standard
operating procedure) is that they don't carry the substance in their
bag," Khairy Jamaluddin was quoted as saying by Friday's New Straits
Times.
"So, if that is the injection that he is referring to... there is an
issue now of where it came from."
Lee faced a ban of up to two years and although he was given a
softer sentence he was criticized by the BWF panel for putting
himself at risk for so long with negligent practices in relation to
his supplement intake.
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The 12-page report into the case detailed how the wife "of a very
influential man in Malaysia" gifted Lee cordyseps tablets that he
would take each day from unmarked containers despite not knowing how
they were capsulated.
Khairy did not see an issue with the two varying punishments from
the different bodies.
"The difference between Chong Wei's case and Shah is that Chong Wei
managed to prove that he unknowingly took the substance. The
cordyseps may have been laced with dexamethasone.
"But in Shah's case, he can't pinpoint how the substance could have
been consumed apart from the injection.
"This is why I have asked for another report. Hopefully we can have
an answer before he faces the hearing."
(Writing by Patrick Johnston in Singapore; Editing by Amlan
Chakraborty)
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