Andy Ismail
KUCHING: Bodybuilders here have been sternly reminded against using illegal substances or performance enhancers at any championships, including the annual Mr Sarawak 2015 next week.
Speaking on behalf of Sarawak Bodybuilding Association (SBBA), championship organising committee chairman Andy Ismail said the association would ban any bodybuilder found positive in tests at any time.
“Should any of them tested positive for illegal substance, their participation would be immediately withdrawn and if the (testing) results came after their win, their titles would be revoked straight away.
“On top of this, any competitor found using such substance would also face a fine of RM2,000 and suspension from participation in all championships and bodybuilding-related events for four years,” he said yesterday.
According to Andy, such measure is deemed necessary as SBBA does not condone the usage of illegal substance among its athletes.
“Sarawak have begun to see a healthy revival in bodybuilding and as such, SBBA would not want to see such development being put under bad light due to the irresponsibility of a few.”
On this year’s Mr Sarawak championships on May 3 at Kuching Civic Centre Auditorium, Andy said there would be nine titles up for grabs – the Junior, Masters, Flyweight, Bantamweight, Lightweight, Welterweight, Light Middleweight, Middleweight and Light Heavyweight.
“Those selected during zone-level competitions namely in Kuching, Sibu and Miri will compete for placings in Sarawak contingent for this year’s 46th Mr Malaysia championships from June 5-8 in Labuan under the purview of Malaysian Bodybuilding Federation (MBBF).
“As far as Mr Sarawak 2015 goes, we’re happy to see many new faces, thanks to the grooming by our senior bodybuilders as well as the healthy growth of gyms and fitness centres across the state. This is a very positive development for Sarawak bodybuilding,” he said.
This year’s state-level competition is supported by Social Development Ministry and Sarawak State Sports Council, with sponsorship from Kuching Supplements, Borneo Bodybuilding Supplement, Kuching Clean Food and Iron Hardcore Gym Kota Samarahan.
“On behalf of SBBA, I welcome all to come and support our bodybuilders this May 3 at Kuching Civic Centre Auditorium, where we expect to kick off the event at 1pm,” said Andy, reminding that tickets for the event, at RM10 per adult, could be purchased at the auditorium’s entrance on the day itself.
For more information on tickets purchase, call Andy at 012-8862220, or SBBA officials Ruzlan Lotfi (014-2892405), Donny Fam (012-8547912), Lim Soon (012-8091331) and Sonny Chia (016-8998263).