By Nick Butler at the Phuket Orchid Resort and Spa Karon

Bodybuilding, a sport traditionally riddled with doping, has been singled out for praise at the Asian Beach Games so far ©Getty ImagesThere have been no positive doping cases recorded at the Asian Beach Games so far, it was revealed here today, with bodybuilding singled out for particular praise following the special measures taken beforehand.


Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Medical Committee chairman, Dr M Jegathesan, revealed that of the 226 tests planned for the Games, 106 have so far been analysed in Bangkok and all have returned negative findings.

The results revealed so far relate to the period up until the Opening Ceremony, with more recent findings to be completed over coming days.

Bodybuilding, a sport showcased at the Bali 2008 and Muscat 2010 Asian Beach Games but returned to the programme here after missing Haiyang 2012, received particular praise due to its association with competitors testing positive for anabolic steroids. 

Every potential competitor had to do a test in an OCA-accredited laboratory three weeks beforehand, Jegathesan revealed, before another pre-competition test.

All 35 qualified athletes competing here have passed both tests, it was confirmed.

China's Zhang Wenxiu was one of two gold medal winners to be stripped of their titles following positive tests at Incheon 2014 ©Getty ImagesChina's Zhang Wenxiu was one of two gold medal winners to be stripped of their titles following positive tests at Incheon 2014 ©Getty Images



The negative tests will come as a boost for the OCA and Asian sport following the various doping failures seen at the Asian Games in Incheon earlier this year.

Two female gold medal winners - Chinese hammer thrower Zhang Wenxiu and Malaysian wushu player Tai Cheau Xuen - were stripped of their titles following failed tests, while four others also recorded positive findings.

These consisted of Tajikistan footballer Khurshed Beknazarov, Cambodian soft tennis player Yi Sophany, Syrian karate competitor Nour Aldin Al-Kurdi and Iraqi weightlifter Mohammed Jasim Abbood Al Aifuri.

Earlier this month, one of Asia's best known sportsmen, Malaysia's world number one ranked badminton player, Lee Chong Wei, was also provisionally suspended by the Badminton World Federation after failing for an as-of-yet unspecified substance.

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