Iskandar Zulkarnain punished by Badminton Association of Malsysia for smoking in hotel room during Thomas Cup

Kuala Lumpur: A Malaysian badminton player has been heavily fined for smoking during a tournament, officials said, the latest untoward incident to hit the sport in the country. [caption id=“attachment_4331543” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Iskandar Zulkarnain. Image Courtesy: India Open[/caption] Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin was fined 50 percent of his monthly allowance for lighting up in his hotel room at last month’s Thomas Cup in Bangkok, where Malaysia crashed out in the quarter-finals. Malaysian players are forbidden from gambling or smoking. He also had to pay the hotel’s fine of 3,000 baht ($90) for violating its no-smoking rules, Malaysian reports said. Iskandar, who is 50th in the men’s singles world rankings, was brought before the Badminton Association of Malaysia’s (BAM) disciplinary committee on 1 June. “The committee sanctioned Iskandar Zulkarnain a one-time 50 percent fine of his monthly allowance,” the committee said in a statement on Wednesday, without revealing the fine’s amount. The statement added that all players will now undergo nicotine testing “from time to time”, warning of severe repercussions for anyone who tests positive. Iskandar’s punishment comes a month after two players were hit with decades-long bans for match-fixing and corruption. Zulfadli Zulkiffli, a former world junior champion who was banned for 20 years, has since appealed the decision.