The world number five was charged with an anti-doping violation in May after she tested positive for clenbuterol, but the BWF have now cleared Intanon of any wrongdoing.

The BWF said: "The Badminton World Federation (BWF) can confirm current world number five women’s singles player Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand was found to be in violation of the BWF Anti-Doping Regulations earlier this year.

"The Ethics Hearing Panel determined Ms Ratchanok Intanon committed an anti-doping rule violation, but as the athlete was able to demonstrate that her adverse analytical finding (AAF) was related to the ingestion of meat contaminated with clenbuterol, she was found to bear no fault or negligence for the violation, and thus no period of ineligibility has been imposed on her.

"BWF duly notes the reasoned decision of the BWF Ethics Hearing Panel and its findings."

The BWF findings reported a clenbuterol concentration of 0.04ng/mL, below the MRPL of 0.2ng/mL.

The panel agreed that Intanon had proven the meat consumed in a restaurant she had visited had contained the substance - a drug which decreases body fat and increases muscle mass.

As part of her evidence, Intanton had returned to restaurants she had eaten in and obtained meat for testing.

All eight meat samples were returned with positive clenbuterol readings.

The panel noted Intanon "has demonstrated on the balance of probabilities that clenbuterol entered her system through the ingestion of meat contaminated with clenbuterol from Yakiniku Restaurant during the month of April 2019".

They stated that she had no intention to cheat and a four-year ineligibility period, which was reconsidered as a two-year suspension that could have been enacted had Intanton been found guilty, was instead quashed.

In conclusion, the Panel agreed "Intanon had established, on the balance of probabilities, that she did not know that consuming meat purchased from a restaurant or street market in Malaysia, Thailand, or Singapore, and in particular from Yakiniku Restaurant, would result in an ADRV or that she manifestly disregarded the risk of such consumption".

In July 2016, Intanon was cleared of any wrongdoing by a BWF Hearing Panel after failing a doping test for triamcinolone acetonide.

Better known as corticosteroid, the substance is banned during in-competition testing by the World Anti-Doping Agency when administered "orally, intravenously, intramuscularly or rectally".

The panel ruled Intanon had injected the substance directly into a muscle for medical reasons, something which was permitted under BWF rules.

A suspension that had been introduced four days prior to the hearing was therefore lifted with immediate effect.