Meet the Singaporeans who help to maintain the integrity of the Asian Games

NAGOYA – As world and national records tumbled at the 2026 Asian Games, several Singapore athletes have also flown the flag with pride by making it to the podium or achieving their best result.

While eight Singaporeans will leave the arenas in Tokyo and Nagoya with no medals, records or personal bests, it would not have been a less fulfilling outing for them.

As doping control officers (DCOs), they play an unsung yet important role at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

Michael Sua, 53, and Alvin Tay, 69, are among the eight DCOs from Anti-Doping Singapore (ADS) who are at the quadrennial meet. Both have been at it for 16 years.

A DCO is responsible for ensuring athletes are tested fairly and according to anti-doping rules. They notify selected athletes, oversee the collection of urine or blood samples, and ensure the process follows World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) standards.

DCOs also securely seal, document and transport samples, maintaining the chain of custody until they reach an accredited laboratory.

At these Games, both Tay and Sua serve as doping control station managers where they coordinate chaperones and DCOs, ensure the correct athletes are tested and manage any issues that may arise during the process.

Tay, who retired from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) in 2008 after over 20 years as an enforcement officer, started his journey as a DCO during the 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore.

“After my retirement, I decided to see what else I can do and since I love sports and I wanted to be part of the inaugural YOG, and my CNB experience was a push factor,” said Tay, who has also been a DCO at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, the 2018 Asiad in Indonesia, Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia.

While he had to chase after drug offenders during raids with CNB, Tay said “fortunately, there is no need to chase after athletes”, but described every assignment as being different.

On one occasion, he had to prevent an official from forcing his way into the doping control processing room and on another, he had to request a drunk athlete representative – who accompanies the athlete during the process – to leave the Doping Control Station.

Often, DCOs are the first at competition venues and can be the last to leave.

They are at the venue at least two hours before competition starts. And once the athlete required to produce a sample has finished his or her competition, DCOs must ensure the procedure is completed without any hiccups.

Sometimes it takes an athlete longer than usual to produce a sample. Tay said he once waited six hours for an athlete to be able to pee, while they have heard of others who have waited till 14 hours.

But Sua said they never rush an athlete, adding: “Every athlete is different. Some sports you can hydrate effortlessly after your event. Some sports you can’t, right?

“Some sports because they are in a weight class, they are under hydrated.. to make sure that they keep within the required weight... and immediately after the event they just cannot start drinking a lot.

“It must always be at the athletes’ convenience.”

The opportunity to engage in close quarters with Olympians and world champions is the “best part of the job”, added Sua.

While DCOs are compensated for their time at competitions, they use their own annual leave to go on these assignments.

For some competitions like the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics in February, Sua who works in project management in telecommunications, paid for his own airfare, spending an estimated $4,000 for an eight-week deployment.

But he finds purpose in these trips.

He said: “To a lot of people, taking time off work just to do more work sounds a bit crazy, but being part of these global sporting events and contributing to something bigger than myself is so deeply fulfilling that I never hesitate to trade my holidays for the experience.”

The importance of doping control at major Games is important to protect athlete health, guarantee fair competition and preserve the integrity and reputation of international sport.

Thai badminton player Pitchamon Opatniputh became the first confirmed doping case at the Aichi-Nagoya Games on Sept 21 after returning a positive test for furosemide, a substance that can be used to lose water for rapid weight loss.

The 19-year-old former world junior champion in women’s singles took the out-of-competition test on Sept 17 and was subsequently banned from the Games.

ADS general manager Ang Lay Kwang expressed gratitude to its volunteers like Tay and Sua, as well as its pool of over 30 DCOs – who conduct routine checks locally – for contributing their time and expertise to anti-doping work.

“Their longstanding dedication and professionalism, together with the contributions of our other DCOs, supports ADS’ efforts to promote clean sport and ensure that athletes can compete on a level playing field,” Ang added.

“DCOs play a critical role in the anti-doping ecosystem. As the frontline representatives of the anti-doping process, they are responsible for collecting samples from athletes in a manner that is fair, transparent, and compliant with the WADA Code.

“They complement the work of ADS and enable testing to be carried out across different sports and throughout the year. More importantly, their professionalism and integrity are important in ensuring that athletes can have confidence in the testing process.”