Surasak affirms full investment in athletes, denying any outstanding prize money owed, though some payments are made monthly. He revealed that prize money is paid directly to athletes within 7 days, eliminating issues of delay or incomplete payments.
At 16:22 on 30 June 2026, Mr. Surasak Punjaruenworakul, Minister of Tourism and Sports, explained during the budget bill debate for fiscal year 2027 that the Ministry of Tourism and Sports has been allocated 15 billion baht, a 9% decrease from last year, with approximately 9 billion baht for tourism and nearly 6 billion baht for sports.
Mr. Surasak stated that the tourism focus can be divided into four key points:
1. Generating income for the grassroots economy by distributing earnings to communities, enhancing local identity, and developing attractive cities and community tourism.
2. Promoting high-quality tourism to attract quality travelers, including medical tourists and the growing 'pink economy' sector.
3. Building a safe and trustworthy tourism image, a government priority to instill confidence among visitors to Thailand.
4. Encouraging sustainable or eco-friendly tourism.
The sports focus is divided into three main points:
1. Enhancing youth potential through sports to help young people grow appropriately, develop discipline, and become valuable human resources.
2. Developing sports infrastructure by upgrading stadium standards and ensuring, during his ministerial tenure, that incomplete or abandoned sports facilities will be eliminated.
3. Advancing excellence and career opportunities by prioritizing sports disciplines to allocate budgets appropriately and pushing for successful outcomes.
Regarding the National Sports Development Fund, Mr. Surasak noted that revenue from liquor and tobacco taxes is steadily declining, which is positive as it reflects reduced consumption behaviors but also impacts the fund’s income. The fund’s responsibilities include hosting events, supporting welfare, prize money, developing sports personnel, and scholarships.
Addressing concerns raised during the debate that only 8% of the fund’s 4 billion baht reaches athletes, he firmly denied this, stating that the fund actually allocates 80% to athletes both directly—through prize money, scholarships, and medical reimbursements—and indirectly by funding associations for organizing competitions and athlete care.
Regarding the alleged 291 million baht in unpaid prize money, Mr. Surasak confirmed there are no outstanding athlete prize payments. The remaining amounts are due to athletes requesting monthly payments, so these are not considered overdue. The fund’s policy is to transfer prize money directly to athletes’ accounts within 7 days of competition, with no delays beyond that.
On questions about sports associations delaying expenses or prize payments, Mr. Surasak thanked former Minister Attakorn Sirilattayakorn for initiating direct payments to athletes, bypassing associations, which has resolved issues of delayed, partial, or missing payments. The fund has piloted this approach in two events—the Asian Beach Games and the National Youth Games—with positive athlete feedback. The ministry plans to continue this direct payment system going forward.
Furthermore, Mr. Surasak outlined future policy plans to implement nationwide youth sports programs at district, provincial, regional, national, and international levels, starting with football and volleyball, then expanding to other sports. He expects around 300,000 participants. On budget allocation to sports associations, he stated that each will have a clear funding amount. Although not all will receive equal sums, allocations will be fair.
Finally, Mr. Surasak reaffirmed that the Ministry of Tourism and Sports’ budget allocation will be careful, concrete, and maximize value for money.