Medan, 16 September 2024
One of the sports at PON XXI 2024 is bodybuilding, which had been competed in Medan. On the final of the 85 kg class on September 11th, 2024, Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya took part on it and he coincidentally won a gold medal. The IADO representatives who witnessed at the announcement of the winners felt surprised by the victory and immediately submitted their complete report to the Management of IADO. At that time, IADO sent a WA (Whatsapp) and called the Management of PBFI (Association of Indonesian Bodybuilding and Fitness) to request that the gold medal presentation to Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya be cancelled, and then followed up with a written objection letter still on the same day. Regarding this issue, the following is a complete explanation of IADO’s position, which strongly objects to the participation of bodybuilding athlete Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya at the 2024 PON bodybuilding sport competition, based on the reason that the person concerned was proven to have consumed a prohibited substance, based on the athlete’s urine sample collected by DCO (Doping Control Officer) of LADI on October 4th, 2021 during the PON 2021 in Papua.
According to the letter of PBFI of No. A/Khusus/PP.PBFI/IX/2024 dated September 12th , 2024 regarding Doping Problems in the Men’s Bodybuilding Competition Numbers Class 85+ kg PON XXI Aceh – North Sumatra 2024 on behalf of athlete Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya from Banten Province, and the letter from KONI Banten Province No. 01/HA-KONI Banten/IX/2024 dated September 14th, 2024 concerning Legal Clarification on behalf of Mr. T. Rahmat Widjaya & KONI Banten Province, mentioning among others, that Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya never knew about his doping problem and was never informed by LADI (Indonesian Anti-Doping Agency) and then also by IADO, are totally not true, because: (a) Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya, receiving the analysis results from the Bangkok anti-doping laboratory in December 2021, had continued to communicate via telephone with drg. Dessy Rosmelita (Secretary General of LADI), after the athlete received the analysis results from Bangkok. Then on January 30th, 2022 Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya and the Secretary General of LADI communicated each other again but via WA and continued on February 15th, 2022 in which Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya used his cell phone number which remained the same as he used it at that time until the sample was collected on September 11th, 2024 (based on personal data that he wrote down himself according to the sampling inspection procedure on the DCF / Doping Control Form sheet); b. In fact, written official notification letters from LADI and then from IADO have always been continuously sent via email, as it was sent by LADI on January 28th 2022 (for the letter of No. LS-033/LADI/I/2022) via email addressed to the email address Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya, then by IADO on February 23rd, 2023 (for letter No. ISR-2.23.2./IADO), continued on March 17th, 2023 (for the letter of No. ISR-3.17.2/IADO/2023) which even copied to the email addresses of the Management of PBFI and WADA, and the last letter sent by IADO to Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya on December 11th, 2023 (for the letter of No. ISR-12.11.1/IADO) which was also copied to the PBFI Management and WADA.
Even though Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya never once responded to a number of emails sent by LADI and IADO, however, Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya remains use the same as the email address written and signed by himself on the DCF document dated September 11th , 2024. Accordingly, it is not true that Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya did not acknowledge the existence of the email notifications from LADI and IADO. If these emails were not delivered, the sender used to receive response in the email, for example: delivery has failed to the recipients or mail delivery failed.
IADO repeatedly conveyed his letters, because the results of the analysis of sample A for Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya (analyzed by a laboratory in Bangkok) has found the results of an Atypical Analytical Finding (ATF) in the form of hydrochlorothiazide (i.e. a substance that is classified in the S5.Diuretics and Masking Agents category on the WADA Prohibited Substances list. This substance is a substance which already exists naturally in the body, only in excessive levels, and it is included in the category of specified substances). According to the provisions, IADO is mandatory to invite and to present the athlete concerned through several letters. IADO finally changed the ATF findings to AAF and then on March 17th, 2023 IADO submitted a letter of demand to Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya, who also had to respond. Until then another letter appeared from IADO dated December 11th, 2023 IADO gave an opportunity to Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya until the following 21 days to respond it. Unfortunately, in reality, there was no response. Thus, IADO never immediately sentenced the athlete to using prohibited substances, unless after the deadline given, he was not responded to, then he was considered doping and was subject to sanctions.
In fact, in its letter of September 12th, 2024, PBFI stated, among other things, that the PBFI Management argued that Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya has passed the process of obtaining ADEL (Anti-Doping Education and Learning platform) and the Bodybuilding Technical Meeting was attended by IADO representatives. These reasons could not be a justification for allowing Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya in PON XXI, based on the following considerations: (a) The list of bodybuilding athletes included was based on the proposal of the PBFI Management, so that IADO was not in the capacity to differentiate between athletes who were not currently subject to sanctions due to doping or who were currently subject to sanctions due to doping, because ADEL’s aim is to increase athletes’ awareness of the dangers of ADRV (Anti-Doping Rule Violations), as stated in Article 2 of the World Anti-Doping Code; and (b) At the Bodybuilding Technical Meeting on September 8th, 2024, there were indeed IADO representatives present. However, the IADO representatives only underlined the letter from IADO No. IS-8.19.1/IADO/2024 dated August 19th, 2024 concerning athletes who have passed the ADEL and received a certificate, but not in the capacity to validate these athletes to be allowed to compete in the 2024 PON.
IADO is fully aware that the time span between the results of sample analysis at the Qatar anti-doping laboratory based on samples collected during the 2021 PON in Papua and the decision / announcement was quite long with the following explanation. IADO via its letter of No. ISR-001/IADO/II/2022 dated February 18th, 2022 regarding the Doping Monitoring Report for XX – Papua PON has sent a letter to the Papua PON Steering Committee, which was copied to the Minister of Youth and Sports and the Chairman of KONI. The essences of the letter are as follows: (a). LADI (which was then submitted a report by IADO) had collected 718 athlete samples, and they have been sent directly to the anti-doping laboratory in Qatar; (b). The results of laboratory analysis showed that there were 5 athletes whose samples were identified by AAF records (namely: Mr. Kariyono from East Java Province, Mr. Abdul Manan from Bangka Belitung Province, Mr. Andri Yanto from Aceh Province, Mr. Putu Martika from Bengkulu Province and Mr. Carel Julius from West Java Province), while another athlete was still registered with ATF (namely: Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya from Banten Province); (c). After the Result Management and Appeal process, finally a decision with permanent legal force was made for the doping violation decision for Mr. Kariyono from East Java Province, Br. Abdul Manan from Bangka Belitung Province and Br. Andri Yanto from Aceh Province; (d). Meanwhile for Br. Carel Julius from West Java Province (because he still used his right to appeal) and Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya from Banten Province (because his sample was still registered as ATF and not AAF), so IADO still needed hearing with the 2 athletes concerned.
In addition, considering that after February to May 2022 IADO was busy to complete Corrective Action obligations by WADA which was compulsory to be completed in the early of June 2022 (because if Corrective Action was not completed it could have an impact on imposing sanctions again on Indonesia), and then the period from July to September 2022 was busy with the obligation to change Notarial Deeds and an Official Licensing at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights as a result of changes to the composition of the IADO Management, in which consequently IADO had just submitted notification to the Chairman of KONI via its letter of No. IS-10.17.3/IADO/2022 dated October 17th, 2022 regarding Notification of IADO Announcement Concerning Athletes Subject to Sanctions for Using Doping (Prohibited Substances) When Participating in XX PON 2021 in Papua. In the related letter which was also copied to the Chairman of PBFI: for bodybuilding there were 4 bodybuilding athletes who had been sanctioned, namely: Mr. Kariyono from Eastern Java Province, Mr. Abdul Manan from Bangka Belitung Province, Mr. Andri Yanto from Aceh Province, and Mr. Putu Martika from Bengkulu Province. Furthermore, there was 1 weightlifter who had been sanctioned, namely: Mr. Carel Julius from Western Java Province. Meanwhile, regarding the status of Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya was continued to be reminded by sending the Initial Notification by IADO on February 23rd, 2023 to him based on the reality that the previous letter from LADI with its letter of No. LS-033/LADI/I/2022 dated January 28th, 2022 was not responded to by Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya.
Because there was no response from Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya, then according to the provisions, IADO changed the finding of ATF (Atypical Analytical Finding) to AAF and then on March 17th, 2023 submitted a letter of demand to Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya in which he also had to respond it. And finally, via its letter dated December 11th, 2023, IADO did not get response as usual. The resolution took a long time due to the status of the alleged substance that was consumed by Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya was originally still an ATF finding and to ensure that it leads to AAF (Adverse Analytical Finding) required further study and hearings with the athletes concerned by the Result Management Committee. In fact, Br. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya never responded to the letter from IADO.
IADO actually routinely publishes a list of athletes who are being sanctioned for doping, as these are stated on the IADO website: https://iado.id/h/index.php/id/pengelesaian-publik/).
Referring to the letter from the PBFI Management dated on the above-mentioned September 12th, 2024, which in essence was still unable to make a firm decision on the issue related to Mr. Tjhie Rahmat Wijaya, the Chairman of the PBFI, Chairperson of the Jury and Chairperson of the Technical Delegate might be subject to violations of the ADRV provisions in Article 2.9 of the World Anti-Doping Code which states: “Assisting, encouraging, aiding, abetting, conspiring, covering up or whatever other type of intentional complicity or Attempted complicity involving an anti-doping rule violation, Attempted anti-doping rule violation or violation of Article 10.14.1 by another Person.”
If violations of the regulations mentioned in Article 2.9 of the World Anti-Doping Code continue to be carried out, then these related – personnel will be subject to sanctions as it is stated in Article 10.3.4 of the World Anti-Doping Code which states: “For violations of Article 2.9, the period of Ineligibility imposed shall be a minimum of two (2) years, up to lifetime Ineligibility, depending on the seriousness of the violation.” Conditions of Inadequacy for life, depending on the seriousness of the violation”. The exception is if the letter is immediately withdrawn.
IADO really appreciates the quick steps taken by the Organizing Committee of PON XXI in Aceh – Northern Sumatra, especially for the North Sumatra Region, which has submitted a letter of No. 1398/Sekr-PB.PON XXI/IX2024 regarding the withdrawal of athletes’ medals in the bodybuilding sport of PON XXI / 2024 Aceh – Northern Sumatra.
Medan, 16 September 2024.
Chairman of IADO.
Gatot S. Dewa Broto