May 8, 2008
BANGKOK - Olympic boxing bronze medallist Suriya Prasathinpimai has been banned for a year after testing positive to prohibited substances, a report said Thursday.
The middleweight, one of Thailand's most successful amateur boxers, failed a drugs test at last December's Southeast Asian Games.
He was earlier stripped of the gold medal he won there and has now been banned by the Amateur Boxing Association of Thailand (ABAT), the Bangkok Post said.
It cited ABAT president Taweep Jantararoj as saying Suriya, who claimed he was innocent, could face further action by the International Amateur Boxing Association.
Suriya was tipped as a medal contender at the Beijing Olympics but withdrew from the qualifying tournament citing injury, according to AFP.
Thailand is a boxing powerhouse and is taking eight fighters to Beijing, including Athens light-welterweight gold medallist Manus Boonjumnong, flyweight veteran Somjit Jongjohor, and Olympic bantamweight silver medallist Worapoj Petchkoom.
