DUBAI // Nadir bin Hendi, the powerboat world champion, has vowed to "fight till the last breath" to clear his name, after being banned for two years for doping.
The Dubai-based throttleman, who won three successive Class One world titles from 2008, has been suspended until November 20, 2013 by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM).
However, bin Hendi insists the UIM have handled his case "unprofessionally" and plans to appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.
"They took a rash decision by banning me," said bin Hendi, who was on course for a fourth world title alongside his Victory teammate Arif Al Zafeen before his failed test last year.
"A lot of [sportsmen] who were caught with this were banned for nine months, maximum nine months - not two years.
"We took this very seriously and wanted to keep the matter calm until we could resolve the problem, but unfortunately the UIM went out and made the matter public. People from outside knew the answer from the results before even I knew it. UIM are unprofessional for not dealing with this matter properly."
Bin Hendi is furious his case was made public by the governing body, following the Italian Grand Prix of the 2011 World Powerboat Championship.
He was provisionally suspended by the UIM's Anti-Doping Hearing Panel in November for the reported use of methylhexaneamine, and that ban has been confirmed as two years.
Bin Hendi believes the positive test emanated from his protracted use of a nasal spray called Xylo Comod. After breaking his nose in a jet ski accident in 2004, he opted to use the spray to aid his breathing, on the advice of his doctor, rather than undergo surgery.
He says the evidence of the laboratory testing which he has undertaken in his bid to clear his name suggests that, while the decongestant does not contain the banned substance, the constant use of it causes the body to produce it.
"I feel sorry, and honestly I am depressed for the way things are going in my future and my life," he said. "I have been racing for 20 years and never in my life have I intended to take anything illegal. Our sport doesn't need that stuff you find in a nasal spray.
"You want to be alert, and concentrated - you don't want to be drunk when racing these things."
Positive methylhexaneamine tests have been common in world sport in recent years. Duncan Murray, one of the UAE's leading rugby players, is serving a suspension for a failed test during last year's Asian Five Nations tournament.
As with bin Hendi, Murray was adamant about his innocence, saying the positive result came as a result of him consuming an over-the-counter energy drink which, unknown to him, contained the substance.
Bin Hendi, like Murray, hopes his case will increase awareness among others.
"I have never know in my life that I was taking a banned substance that creates this," bin Hendi said. "The awareness in Dubai should be more about this."
Bin Hendi and his legal team hope to have a hearing for their appeal at the Court of Arbitration by the end of this month.
"I'm going to fight it till the last breath," he said.
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Company name: Farmin
Date started: March 2019
Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: AgriTech
Initial investment: None to date
Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Freezer tips
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
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6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
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Engine: 3-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
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MATCH INFO
FA Cup final
Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
