Quach Thi Lan: "A 4-year sentence is too heavy for me"

"I'm very sad. The SEA Games are taking place in Cambodia and I'm sitting at home, so I feel sad. A four-year penalty would be too heavy for me. I thought I would only be banned from competing for 2-3 years. But until now I haven't received any official notice.

In the future, I will continue to practice and try to come back. I still want to compete again," Quach Thi Lan shared.

Quach Thi Lan was banned from competing for 4 years (Photo: AP).

As reported, at the meeting organized by the Southeast Asian Sports Council yesterday (May 4), Director of the Vietnam Doping and Sports Medicine Center and Deputy Head of the Medical and Doping Control Subcommittee of the 31st SEA Games - Doctor Nguyen Van Phu, announced the identities of 5 Vietnamese athletes involved in doping at the 31st SEA Games taking place in 2022.

Accordingly, 5 Vietnamese athletes tested positive for doping include: Quach Thi Lan (400m hurdles gold medal, 4x400m relay gold medal, 400m bronze medal), Khuat Phuong Anh (800m gold medal, 1,500m silver medal), Vu Ngoc Ha (long jump gold medal, triple jump silver medal), Hoang Thi Ngoc (4x400m relay gold medal), Le Ngoc Phuc (400m silver medal, 4x400m relay silver medal).

According to the results of the samples taken at the 31st SEA Games, in addition to the 5 Vietnamese track and field athletes, there were 5 other cases that also tested positive for banned substances, including 2 athletes from Thailand, 2 athletes from Myanmar and one athlete from Indonesia.

Previously, in the explanation of 5 Vietnamese athletes, they said they used the same functional food but did not know it contained banned substances.

It is known that the ban on the 5 Vietnamese athletes is 4 years but has not been officially announced by the Vietnam Athletics Federation. This is a relatively heavy sentence, causing many athletes to retire. However, if they train well, Quach Thi Lan and her teammates can still return.

Thus, from 22 gold medals, the Vietnamese athletics team will lose 4 because the above athletes participated in individual and team events with gold medals (Lan and Ngoc both competed in the women's 4x400m relay and won gold, so they were stripped of 1 gold medal). The gold medals in the long jump and women's 400m hurdles still belong to Vietnam because Bui Thi Thu Thao and Nguyen Thi Huyen ranked 2nd.

Before the 32nd SEA Games, the doping issue was of particular concern to the sports industry. Director of the Vietnam Doping and Sports Medicine Center, Dr. Nguyen Van Phu, said: "In 2023, Vietnamese sports will participate in the Asian Games and further, the Olympics. Anti-doping organizations all have procedures for testing athletes.

The General Department of Sports and Physical Training has sent a document to all departments, centers, and schools training athletes to prepare for the SEA Games regarding athlete training and doping testing regulations. The list of banned substances applicable in 2023 has been updated to all athlete management units and athletes directly.

Doping control at the 32nd SEA Games is very strict, and the Organizing Committee has taken a relatively large number of samples for doping testing. Athletes who achieved high results at the 32nd SEA Games will almost certainly have to undergo doping testing.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/quach-thi-lan-an-phat-4-nam-voi-toi-la-nang-20230505110939572.htm