JEDDAH, 3 March 2008 — Lifters from Al-Tarraji club were the runaway winners in the Saudi Arabian Weightlifting & Bodybuilding Federation Youth Championship at the Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Stadium in Riyadh.
Al-Tarraji pooled 185 points in the three-day competition. Second place went to Al-Huda with 157 points. Tarraji and Huda both fielded eight players.
Al-Yarmouk club had four players and finished third with 53 points. The lone entry from Al-Aroubah club failed to garner a point.
The lifters were tested for drugs, a first in local competition in Saudi Arabia and for the SAWBF although the Saudi Athletics Federation did have their athletes tested albeit in international competitions.
The football federation had been cooperating with the anti-doping committee since 2002.
Speaking to Arab News, Bader Al-Saeed, secretary-general of the Saudi Arabian Anti-Doping Committee (SAADC), said they were pleased when the federation showed their concern and contacted them.
“The stadium administration was very helpful and provided us with an appropriate room for the tests,” he said. “It is a good step forward, and a good indication that our athletes’ awareness regarding doping is developing and is enabling them to appreciate better health and life,” he said.
Al-Saeed added they reviewed the year’s federation schedule and this was the first of several events where the athletes were chosen randomly from different weight categories for testing.
For his part, the president of the Saudi Weightlifting & Bodybuilding Federation, Saleh Al-Sawwat, said, “ Our youth knows it is bad for their health but sometimes they do not think of the consequences. That is why what we did here is just the beginning and more workshops and awareness campaigns will run.” Sultan Nasseib, secretary-general of the federation, said “ We will continue to cooperate with the anti-doping committee for as long as the federation runs.”
He added, “It is (doping) bad and deadly and we want to prevent our athletes from endangering their health. We want to have champions but not at the risk of good health let alone lives.”
