KUALA LUMPUR: Badminton’s world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei has failed a doping test, a top Malaysian sports official said on Saturday.

Lee, who has been temporarily suspended pending a hearing by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) doping panel, faces a potential two-year ban from competition.

Badminton Association of Malaysia deputy chairman Mohamad Norza Zakaria confirmed on Saturday that a test carried out on Nov 5 in Oslo, Norway, on the ‘B’ sample had backed up the positive finding of the ‘A’ sample from a doping control at this year’s World Championships.

Mohamad declined to identify the player, however a senior Malaysian sports official confirmed to The Associated Press that it was 33-year-old Lee. The official did not give his name because he was not authorised to reveal Lee’s identity to the media.

The Kuala Lumpur-based BWF would hear an expected challenge to the finding by the BMA and Lee.

Mohamad said the player tested positive for the banned substance dexamethasone, but the association believed he was innocent. “This player is a very dedicated player and an exceptional individual,” he told a media conference. “We believe this player has never resorted to shortcuts to achieve success.”

Mohamad claimed dexamethasone was not performance enhancing. Dexamethasone is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list.

Published in Dawn, November 9th , 2014