Teenage shuttler first athlete suspended after positive dope test at Asian Games 2026

Teenage Thai badminton player Pitchamon Opatniputh has become the first athlete to be provisionally suspended from the Asian Games 2026 after testing positive for a banned substance, the International Testing Agency (ITA) said on Monday.The 19-year-old, ranked 18th in the world in women's singles by the Badminton World Federation, returned a positive test for furosemide, a prohibited diuretic. The sample was collected during an out-of-competition test in Nagoya on September 17, two days before the formal opening ceremony of the Aichi-Nagoya Games.Opatniputh was scheduled to represent Thailand in the team event against China on Tuesday, but her provisional suspension means she cannot compete in the Asian Games.Provisional suspension takes immediate effectThe ITA said Opatniputh had been informed of the case and suspended with immediate effect pending its resolution under the World Anti-Doping Code and the Olympic Council of Asia's anti-doping rules.“This means that the athlete is prevented from competing, training,…