Thai badminton player Pitchamon Opatniputh, who is competing at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, has tested positive for the banned substance furosemide, with the result confirmed after a second sample produced the same result, Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said.
Pitchamon, 19, was suspended after an anti-doping test on her sample collected during an out-of-competition test on September 17 detected furosemide.
The ITA notified her on September 21, making her ineligible to compete at the Asian Games.
She requested that her second sample be tested, and the sample was sent for analysis on September 24.
The minister who is in Nagoya for Asian Games said that the second sample produced the same result as the initial sample, confirming that furosemide was present in Pitchamon’s sample.
He said furosemide is a diuretic and is sometimes associated with medical or cosmetic treatments. Although badminton has no weight categories, he said World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules apply to athletes in all sports and regardless of gender.
“WADA’s rules apply to all athletes. They are not specific to any particular sport,” Surasak said.
He said the relevant authorities would determine what sanctions Pitchamon may face.
However Pitchamon would have to pursue the matter through the appeal process.
As for how the substance entered her body, Surasak said it could have come from medication or cosmetic products whose labels did not clearly list the prohibited substance among their ingredients.
He said this could mean that an athlete was unaware that a prohibited substance had entered her body.
