Lee appears before doping panel

Malaysian ace Lee Chong Wei appeared before a three-member Badminton World Federation panel Saturday for his long-awaited doping hearing, where the former world number one has vowed to clear his name.

A relaxed-looking Lee emerged after a six-and-a-half hour hearing behind closed doors with his London-based lawyer Mike Morgan telling journalists the panel "gave us a fair opportunity to present our case."

The BWF declined to comment, with the federation's Gayle Alleyne earlier telling AFP: "At the appropriate time, BWF will communicate as required."

However, an BWF official at the hearing said no verdict was expected on Saturday, as the panel needed several days to reach a finding and write their report.

"It's a highly technical issue," the official added at the sitting, held at a hotel near Amsterdam's Schiphol International Airport.

Lee, 32, who is one of Malaysia's most popular sports stars, tested positive for the banned anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone at last year's World Championships in Copenhagen, where he lost to China's Chen Long in the final.

If found guilty, he could face a career-ending two-year ban.

Lee said he received dexamethasone during stem cell treatment for a thigh injury in July last year.

He has maintained that he would retire if he were banned for two years.

On Saturday the soft-spoken Lee told reporters he expected a verdict "within two or three weeks" and thanked his fans for their support.

Lee also has the backing of the Badminton Association of Malaysia, with the BWF saying Lee was suspended "due to an apparent anti-doping regulation violation" while the panel considers whether he committed an offence.

"The panel gave us a fair opportunity and gave us the time to present our case," Morgan told reporters after the hearing.

"There were a lot of witnesses and we had an opportunity to put all of our evidence forward," Morgan added, saying "now we just keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best."

Lee has also voiced fears he would never realise his dream of becoming world and Olympic champion.

Last month the two-time Olympic silver medallist told the Malaysian-based Star newspaper he hoped the hearing would clear his name and allow him to compete in the 2016 Olympic Games.

"All I want is to clear my name and return to Badminton," Lee recently tweeted.

Despite topping the rankings for years and reaching three world championship finals and two Olympic finals, Lee has never won either of Badminton's two major titles.

He has dropped to 17th on the latest BWF rankings, with his main rival Chen in top spot.
Source: AFP