Bangkok: The Minister of Tourism and Sports, Mr. Atthakorn Sirilatthayakon, has acknowledged that the current budget of 1.2 billion baht allocated for sending Thai athletes to international sporting events may be inadequate. This shortfall could potentially impede participation in significant competitions like the Asian Games.

According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Atthakorn revealed that the budget was initially part of a larger request exceeding 10 billion baht. However, after a thorough review by the Sports Fund Committee and the Ministry of Finance, it was reduced to 1.2 billion baht. This allocation is part of the 2026 budget framework, which totals over 4.1 billion baht.

Mr. Atthakorn confirmed that there were no reductions from the original amount and expressed gratitude to the Olympic Committee of Thailand for their concern. The Olympic Committee played a role in proposing the budget framework.

To address issues related to athlete payments, Mr. Atthakorn announced a pilot project aimed at improving the disbursement process. The project proposes transferring allowances directly to athletes, bypassing associations, to tackle problems of delayed and incomplete payments. He also called on the Olympic Committee and other stakeholders to work together to enhance the transparency and long-term care of Thai athletes.