Pokémon Tournament Participant Disqualified After Strong Odor Causes Opponents to Vomit

Either training or soap: someone had to sacrifice something on the road to first place.

An unusual incident at the regional Pokémon championship in Baltimore has once again raised the issue of personal hygiene at major offline tournaments.

Texas VGC player and regional champion Donghyun Yum shared that during the Baltimore Regional Championships 2026, a nearby participant emitted such a strong stench that he literally vomited. According to Yum, the foul odor prevented him and his friends from properly concentrating on their matches, after which they reported the issue to a judge. The player who was complained about has not been publicly named, and there is no information on what measures the judge took.

The requirement to maintain basic hygiene is not just an unwritten community rule. The official Play! Pokémon Tournament Rules Handbook explicitly states that all event attendees must maintain "a socially acceptable level of personal hygiene." If adherence to this requirement comes into question, the organizer decides whether a participant may remain at the event. An attendee who violates the relevant rules may be removed from the tournament grounds, and the incident must be reported to Pokémon Organized Play.