KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 — All team managers have been urged to fully declare the health status of athletes bound for the Cambodia SEA Games in May to avoid any doping issues.

Datuk Mohd Nasir Ali, who is Malaysia’s chef de mission (CDM) for the 32nd SEA Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, said this was necessary for fear that athletes with asthmatic conditions might fail dope tests due to certain medications.

As such, he said all athletes are required to present the Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) health form so that the National Sports Institute (NSI) will be aware of their health issues, besides finding an alternative medication that won’t affect their dope test results.

"In terms of preparation, athletes must undergo medical checks before leaving (for the SEA Games) and they must inform us if they have asthma so that the NSI can do the necessary.

"... so that it won’t be a doping issue,” he told reporters after the SEA Games team managers’ meeting at Wisma OCM (Olympic Council of Malaysia), here, today.

Commenting on the latest situation regarding the Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 epidemic, which has claimed two lives in Cambodia, Mohd Nasir advised all parties not to press the panic button as the NSI has adopted safety measures for all athletes.

"The NSI will bring 35 medical officers and nine doctors, but we are recommending that the NSI add more doctors to the team,” he said.

He also reminded all team managers to be prepared to face logistic and organisational challenges in Cambodia, which will be hosting the biennial Games for the first time.

He said this was because the SEA Games in Cambodia will be held in hot and dusty weather conditions, with temperatures set to soar as high as 42 degrees Celsius, which could result in various health problems. — Bernama