Thai athletes and sports bodies must set major goals

Though the Thai delegation returned with 109 gold, 100 silver and 120 bronze medals, 

well short of the target of around 116-120 gold set by the mandarins, I must say that their spell was quite successful considering the odds that our athletes face to get there. If 

our men and women have to accomplish something significant in the future, 

they need to have plenty of exposure, enormous back-up support and experience. 

For their part, the Thai athletes should leave all the sweet and sour memories behind and start to fix the mistakes they made in the Games and think about what they should do for the next major challenges in the not-too-distant future.

After the celebrations and presentations, the performances of each of the athletes who participated in Indonesia need to be evaluated by officials to see whether they require 

help or exposure to make sure they perform well in future competitions such as the World Championships and the London Olympics next year.

Competitions in future would be tougher and to win a medal is not easy. The standard of competitions such as the Asian Games and the Olympics is much higher than the SEA Games. Our athletes go up against stronger opponents from more than 40 countries in the Asiad and over 100 in the Olympics.

Those who have made the cut for the Olympics should do a self-assessment of their abilities and see where they stand and what they need to do to be successful in a year’s time.

 For sure, they must aim higher than what they had accomplished at the SEA Games. Determination and hunger for victory ceases for those who set minor goals in their lives. I know that there are many athletes who are just satisfied with their efforts at the SEA Games. 

Also, don’t we have to pay some attention to the athletes who are older but experienced? It’s another topic for sports associations to think deeply about. No one is too old in sport as age is just another number. If any athlete remains strong and in good shape, he or she should get another chance.

We should also bring in new blood to replace those who have retired. Gifted athletes should not be overlooked but encouraged. Fortunately, young talents have been proving themselves in several sports such as badminton. Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk and Ratchanok Inthanon are becoming dominant forces with the former surprising the Athens Olympic champion Indonesian Taufik Hidayat twice in the SEA Games and the latter stunning top seed and world No 2 Wang Shixian in the ongoing China Open. It’s time we give these youngsters plenty of overseas playing experience. Sooner rather than later, they will become major forces in their field.

Here, the private sector must step in and support our sports bodies financially. Take the Thailand Volleyball Association as an example. They received Bt700,000 from the government for winning three gold medals in the SEA Games while they get Bt14 million every year from main sponsor Thaibev. If others replicate what Thaibev is doing to volleyball, we will have top class athletes in future.