Olympic body threatens to bar Thailand from hosting competition

Thailand’s status as a hub for international sports competitions is at risk after the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) threatened to remove the kingdom’s right to host the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in November.

OCA vice president Chaiyapak Siriwat issued the warning on Tuesday at a meeting with the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) in Bangkok, saying the Games had already been postponed four times.

With less than four months before they are due to be held from November 21-30, the Thai government had still not confirmed the competition would go ahead, he said. Meanwhile no progress had been made on booking hotels or competition venues.

Chaiyapak said the OCA threatened to bar Thailand from hosting the competition on July 16, but he managed to secure a two-week extension for that deadline.

He urged the government and SAT to act quickly to prevent long-term impacts on Thailand.

“Thailand’s reputation would be damaged if it fails to host the competition,” he said, adding that future bids to host the Asian Games or Olympics would be jeopardised.

The SAT should also seek permission from the Cabinet if it wanted to postpone or cancel November’s competition, he added.

The OCA had already prepared for the Games by booking flights for athletes and offering broadcasting rights, while over 754.6 million baht had been spent on Thai athletes’ training. That budget would be wasted if the competition was cancelled, Chaiyapak said.