Thailand says teams careful of doping rules after badminton player fails drug test

NAGOYA – Sports and Tourism Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul ​said the nation’s athletes at the Asian Games ​are all aware and ‌careful of doping rules following a failed drug test by one of the country’s top badminton players.

Pitchamon Opatniputh became the first confirmed doping case at the Aichi-Nagoya ​Games on ⁠Monday 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 last Thursday and was subsequently banned from the ⁠Games.

Pitchamon can challenge the provisional suspension at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Surasak said the Thai delegation had requested analysis of the back-up B sample and that Pitchamon had told them the positive ​test may be related to an anti-inflammatory ointment.

“All athletes know that using drugs, they must be ​careful ‌in the use of all drugs. Because if a substance that is not allowed is detected, ​it ⁠will impact the competition for sure,” he told Thai media at the Games.

“We assure that ⁠all associations, national teams are aware and careful. It could be the case of an individual who was acting out of ignorance.”

Pitchamon was entered ⁠in the women’s team event in Nagoya.

Thailand’s ​women, who won a team bronze at the Games in Hangzhou three years ago, lost their quarter-final 3-0 to China on Tuesday.

The Asian Games ‌run until Oct ⁠4.