Jin drug-positive, will lose SEAG gold

A Filipina taekwondo athlete who won a gold medal in the 23rd Southeast Asian Games held in the country last December has tested positive for an illegal substance and will be asked to return the gold to the Southeast Asian Games Federation Council.

The Philippine Sports Commission could also require the gold medalist to return the incentive of P100,000 awarded by the sports agency and other incentives she may have received for winning a gold medal.

Steve Hontiveros, secretary-general of the SEA Games Federation Council, identified the athlete as Esther Marie Singson, who won the gold in the bantamweight division.

Hontiveros did not say which type of illegal substance was found in the urine sample of the Pinay athlete. He said Dr. Raul Canlas of the Philippine Center for Sports Medicine would soon issue a final report on the matter.

"It’s very difficult to comment because I don’t even know what type of drug it was. I’m not a doctor but sometimes, a drug that is used for a simple cold could turn up illegal," he said.

Sources in the taekwondo association said Singson may have taken the banned substance when she took a slimming tea a week before the competitions.

The tea could have contained a banned substance that showed in the urine test, the source said.

Singson could not be contacted for comment at her residence in Malate. A call by the Philippine STAR at her residence was not answered.

In a phone interview, Canlas, who headed the Medical Commission of the SEA Games, declined to comment, saying he would leave it up to the SEAG Federation Council to make an official statement on the matter.

Hontiveros said once everything is final, the drug test will be reported to the federation which is scheduled to meet probably in Malaysia this month.

Hontiveros said a Malaysian athlete who won the silver in karatedo also failed the test. Both athletes will be stripped of their medals.

The Philippines, however, should remain the overall champion even if Singson is stripped of her gold. The Philippines won 113 gold, 84 silver and 96 bronze medals while Thailand was a far second with 75-77-107.

"We will still be the overall champion of course. It will not affect anything anyway. But this should serve as a lesson. We must educate our athletes on which drugs they could not take during the competition," Hontiveros added.

Singson, who will turn 20 in September, was among the four RP jins who swept the first four golds staked in the sport in the SEAG. The UST student pulled off a 4-2 win over Indon Juana Wangsa Putri to claim the bantamweight gold.

The Indonesian will receive the gold medal.

In another development, PSC chair William "Butch" Ramirez said he would check the rules to determine if the Filipina will also have to return the cash incentive of P100,000 awarded to her by the sports agency.

"I’ll have to check the rules but I know that (as a matter of propriety) something you don’t own, you have to return. If the trophy or medal is taken away from you, the incentive should also be taken away from you."

With Singson to be stripped of the gold medal, the Filipino jins will settle for five golds, five silvers and one bronze although they will remain the overall champion in the event on record.