Malaysian shuttler Lee Chong Wei has been served with an eight-month ban over a doping violation.
The sentence will be backdated from Aug 30, hence, he will be eligible to play in competitions beginning May 1.
This allows Chong Wei to compete in three upcoming majors – the Sudirman Cup in Dongguan from May 10-17, the SEA Games in Singapore in June and the World Championships in Jakarta in August.
Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin will make an official announcement at 3pm today at his Putrajaya office.
[UPDATE] 28/4/2015
According to Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, the cordyceps capsules consumed by Lee since he was the age of 13 contains dexamethasone, which was the main factor that caused his eight-month suspension.
It has been a form of herbal supplement for Lee as his family believed that it would be beneficial for his health.
Having said that, Lee followed the instructions of his nutritionist at the National Sports Institute (ISN) on the supplements he was allowed to consume.
The nutritionist advised the shuttler that the cordyceps was safe, and that it was not necessary to test the product as long as it was in pure form.
