Lifters, who have won medals in previous editions of the Southeast Asian Games weightlifting competitions, will be among those who will be tested for banned substances during the 30th SEA Games.
Dr. Alexander Pineda, head of the Philippine National Anti-Doping Organization, said this as the Philippine Sports Commission started efforts to set up dope-testing programs and protocols for the biennial meet.
“We are having target testing depending on the risk categories, including weightlifting. Kasama iyan,” said Pineda.
Pineda talked about this after Thailand, which was rocked by a doping scandal, made plans to voluntarily ban their athletes from joining international weightlifting meets in the next two years.
And this could include the coming SEA Games, where Thailand is seen as one of the Philippines’ top rivals.
Talks on the anti-doping program for the SEA Games came at the end of the PHINADO’s one-day seminar and training program on Therapeutic Use Exemption, with Southeast Asia Region Anti-Doping Organization at the Philippine International Convention Center.
“Malawak ang events, kasi there are 56 sports. Kasamang matutukan ang mga medallists,” added Pineda.
One of the seminar’s speakers in Dr. Marion Rivera will be part of doping testing, along Dr. Chin Sim Teoh of Singapore.
An anti-doping committee formed for the SEA Games, to be led by Pineda, will have two thrusts—control, and awareness and education.
Dr. Chin also spoke during the seminar, aimed at educating coaches, doctors, sports psychologist, nutritionists and sports administrators of the principles of granting exemptions to athletes, who have used banned substances which are in the prohibited list of the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Pineda said there will be exemptions for athletes, who have tested positive if they are under medication, with allergies and with specific medical conditions.
Starting this year, the PSC’s independent medical body will no longer conduct random drug testing on athletes participating in international meets in the country.
The agency is going full blast with a new kind of procedure, known as smart drug testing, where specific individuals who have been performing well will be chosen for such tests and certain substances as well.
