Thai Olympic Committee President responds to the issue of 'Pink Pitchamon' testing positive for banned substances, leading to her missing the 2026 Asian Games.
On 22 Sep 2026 GMT+7, "Big A" Pimon Sriwikrom, President of the Olympic Committee of Thailand, came forward to defend Pink Pitchamon, a rising star of the Thai national badminton team, after she tested positive for a banned substance. He believes it was due to lack of awareness and strongly advises all athletes to strictly consult doctors before ingesting, applying, or spraying any medication. Regarding the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, he acknowledged many initial problems with transportation and accommodation facilities but expressed confidence that the hosts are managing and resolving these issues to continue the competition smoothly.
"Big A," Assistant Professor Pimon Sriwikrom, revealed an overview of the early phase of the 2026 Asian Games in Japan. When the Thai Olympic team first arrived, everything seemed fine, but many problems soon emerged, including insufficient transport, delays in pick-up vehicles, unprepared accommodations, some broken bathrooms, and variable weather conditions. The hosts have had to address these issues on the spot, and it is hoped that many things will improve.
Assistant Professor Pimon also commented on the Thai athletes’ performance, noting that after 3-4 days of competition, Thailand has already won gold medals, especially in teqball, which secured three golds—a very strong start. He encouraged continued support and cheering, as there remain many medal prospects in other sports. He mentioned having traveled to Japan before the opening ceremony and plans to return on 24 Sep 2026 GMT+7 to continue supporting Thai athletes across various disciplines, intending to stay until the Asian Games conclude.
The President of the Olympic Committee of Thailand also addressed the case of Pink Pitchamon Opasnipat, a rising Thai badminton player, who was found by the International Testing Agency (ITA) to have the banned diuretic furosemide and was suspended from competing in the 2026 Asian Games. He urged all athletes, team officials, managers, and sports associations to exercise greater caution regarding doping. Testing positive does not necessarily mean intentional use; sometimes banned substances are present in medications athletes use for treatment—whether oral, topical, or inhaled medicines. Sometimes athletes unknowingly take doctor-prescribed drugs or self-medicate. Therefore, caution is essential.
"Regarding what happened with Pink, there will be a retest to confirm the result. This case is unfortunate. I want all competing athletes to be careful and consult doctors before using any medication. Personally, I believe all athletes and associations are aware and already cautious. No one intends to dope, and no one wants such incidents to happen. However, going forward, everyone must be even more careful about using, ingesting, or applying any medicine."
