Sarawak to continue relying on ADAMAS for anti-doping tests at major sporting events, says minister

KUCHING (Sept 23): Sarawak will continue to rely on the Anti-Doping Agency of Malaysia (ADAMAS) to conduct anti-doping tests during major sporting events held in the state, said State Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

He said Sarawak currently did not have its own anti-doping laboratory, with samples collected during major competitions sent elsewhere for analysis.

“Every major tournament that we have down here, ADAMAS or our anti-doping squad will be there to oversee the running of the sports event,” he told a press conference at his office at the Baitulmakmur II building here today.

Abdul Karim said anti-doping personnel were also deployed during the 2024 Malaysia Games (Sukma) hosted by Sarawak, with athletes who finished on the podium required to undergo testing.

He said no doping cases were detected during the Games, describing the outcome as a source of pride for Sarawak.

“For the next SEA Games, we will have that. The next big international event, we will have that also,” he said.

Abdul Karim said samples collected by ADAMAS could be sent outside Malaysia for further analysis, adding that Bangkok was currently among the locations used for second-opinion testing.

He said there was no immediate need for Sarawak to establish its own anti-doping laboratory, as testing was primarily required during tournaments and competitions.

“Unless we set up the unit, it would be there for many months without much work because there is nobody to check,” he said.

Abdul Karim said Sarawak would instead continue to bring the ADAMAS team to the state whenever major national, regional or international competitions were held.

He said ADAMAS director Dr Azril Syazwan Mohd Ali would also be among the speakers at the Sarawak National Sports Integrity Conference 2026, where doping would be among the issues discussed.

The conference is scheduled to be held from Sept 28 to 30 at the Hikmah Exchange Event Centre here.

Abdul Karim said the conference would also help raise awareness among sports administrators and associations about the dangers of doping and other integrity-related issues.

Also present were State Deputy Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister Datuk Gerald Rentap Jabu; Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Integrity and Ombudsman) Datuk Dr Juanda Jaya; Deputy State Secretary (Operations) Datu Hii Chang Kee; Sarawak Sports Council director Mu’azamir Jili and other officials.