Thai athletes aim for 164 golds at SEA Games 2025
Five Thai sports associations set an extra 35 gold medal targets, lifting Thailand’s SEA Games 2025 goal to 164 golds, with Combat Sports leading hopes.
The Sports Journalists Association of Thailand held a press conference for the "Meet the Press SEA Games 2025 – 6th Edition" on Thursday (November 6), with executives and representatives from nine sports associations attending to announce their expectations for the upcoming 33rd Southeast Asian Games.
Key Goal: Combat Sports Lead the Charge
Pallop Sripaiwan, Secretary-General of the Sports Journalists Association of Thailand, summarised the main objectives, noting that five sports associations competing officially in the SEA Games have collectively set a target of 35 gold medals:
- Muay Thai (Target: 10 Golds): Gp Capt Boonsong Nualyong, Team Manager, expressed confidence that the team, with its world and continental champions, has a strong chance of claiming up to 10 golds from 18 events.
- Jiu-Jitsu (Target: 10 Golds): Assoc Prof Chanchai Suksuwon, President of the Jiu-Jitsu Association, is confident in the team’s preparation over the past four years, including strong performances at the World Games, and expects at least 10 gold medals from the 18 events.
- Boxing (Target: 9 Golds): Pol Lt Col Chaiwat Chotima, Secretary-General of the Boxing Association, believes the 17 categories of boxers are highly prepared and aims to secure no less than 9 golds, the same as the previous SEA Games. The main competitors will be the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
- Petanque (Target: 4 Golds): Gen Mangkorn Kosinthonseni, Chairman of the Central Committee, reassured that despite internal challenges within the association, the athletes, many of whom are world champions, will likely secure at least 4 gold medals from 11 events.
- Wushu (Target: 2 Golds): Coach Suchinda Yangrungrawin is optimistic that the team will perform better than before, aiming for 2 golds from 14 events.
Overall Thai Team Target: 164 Golds
Pallop summarised the overall target from the six "Meet the Press SEA Games 2025" press conferences, with 38 sports associations participating. The Thai team has set a total gold medal target of 164 golds.
Demonstration Sports:
- Several demonstration sports also set their targets for gold medals, including Air Sports (2 golds), MMA (1 gold), and Disc Golf (1 gold).
The next press conference for "Meet the Press SEA Games 2025 – 7th Edition" will take place on Tuesday (November 11), with six sports associations scheduled to attend.
At the 32nd SEA Games held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (May 5 to 17, 2023), Thailand ranked second overall, winning 108 gold, 96 silver, and 108 bronze medals.
The 33rd Southeast Asian Games will be hosted by Thailand from December 9 to 20, 2025, with Bangkok as the main venue and Chonburi and Songkhla serving as co-host cities.
