Diver Ng loses SEA Games gold medals after failing doping test

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian diver Wendy Ng Yan Yee will be stripped of the two gold medals she won during the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games 2017 in August.

This is the result of her failing a second doping test, when her B sample also tested positive for sibutramine, a stimulant commonly found in slimming products but is on the banned list of substances by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), The Star reported.

Ng, 24, won the gold for the 3m springboard individual event as well as the 3m springboard synchro event in partnership with Nur Dhabitah Sabri.

News of Ng’s first urine sample testing positive was revealed by the SEA Games Federation (SEAGF) early last month in a report where the organisation said three athletes from three countries, including Malaysia, had tested positive following the completion of the games.

However, her identity was not revealed until today.

Ng had represented the country qualifying for the 3m springboard individual final at the Rio Olympics last year.

According to the daily, Ng was also present in New Delhi, India two weeks ago to observe her B sample being opened and tested.

Meanwhile, the Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia too has confirmed that it received notification by SEAGF on the results of the B sample testing.

As a result of her failing the doping tests, Ng’s gold medal for the individual event will now go to Dhabitah who came in second.

However, Dhabitah loses the gold medal she won with Ng in the 3m springboard synchro event.

The Singapore pair of Ashlee Tan and Fong Kay Yian will get the gold medal instead.

The Star reported that Ng is likely to face a maximum ban of up to two years.

This is believed to be less than the usual four years because the use of sibutramine is not viewed as serious an offence as performance enhancing drugs such as anabolic steroids or erythropoietin (EPO).

Under the Wada code as of January this year, sibutramine was listed in the S6 (specified stimulants) category. -FMT