Thai cyclists' world rankings have surged after delivering strong performances. At the 2025 SEA Games.
The Thai national cycling team celebrated as their world rankings climbed significantly after excelling at the 33rd SEA Games. The International Cycling Union (UCI) world ranking points in road cycling for both men's and women's teams jumped markedly, positively impacting their chances to qualify for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, USA.
"Sergeant Major Muek," General Decha Hemkrasri, Vice President of the Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC), President of the ASEAN Cycling Federation (ACF), and President of the Cycling Association of Thailand under Royal Patronage, revealed that the Thai national team, having won 10 gold medals at the 33rd SEA Games, saw their world rankings improve across the board. This advancement benefits their chances for qualification to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. According to the latest UCI world ranking points in road cycling, the Thai men's elite team moved up to 43rd in the world with 839 points, while the women's elite team ranks 32nd globally with 796 points.
General Decha stated that for road cycling, both men's and women's categories, the UCI has set the earliest Olympic qualification deadline among four disciplines, ending the world ranking points collection on 19 October 2027. The top 43 nations in accumulated points worldwide will qualify. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Thai men's and women's teams qualified through the world ranking system. Considering their current rankings, Thailand still has a chance to qualify for the 2028 Olympics, but from 2026 to 2027, the Thai road cycling teams must consistently earn points from international competitions.
General Decha added that in the UCI Asia Tour points for men's professional teams in Asia, Thailand ranks 4th with 839 points. Kazakhstan leads with 1,579 points, followed by Japan with 1,150, and Mongolia with 990 points. Individually, "Matoom," Pilot Officer Pheeraphon Chaochiangkwang of Thailand's professional team, Thailand Continental Cycling Team, holds 2nd place in the Asia Tour with 355 points. The leader is Yevgeniy Fedorov from Kazakhstan's WorldTour team, Astana Qazaqstan, with 639 points.
Sergeant Major Muek expressed concern over the Thai BMX racing team's world ranking points. In the men's elite category, the Thai team dropped to 29th with 407 points. "Ae," Sergeant Gometh Sukprasert, fell to 76th with 310 points after suffering an injury during training that caused him to miss the 2025 Asian BMX Racing Championships in Japan in early November. This resulted in a loss of 300 points from his 2024 Asian Championship title. Although he gained 50 points from winning the SEA Games, it was not enough to offset the loss.
However, the Thai national BMX riders still have a chance to improve their world rankings and compete for a spot at the 2028 Olympics. The UCI qualification rules consider points from the 2027 and 2028 Asian Championships combined with points from the UCI BMX World Cup Supercross and the UCI BMX World Championships. The qualification deadline is May 2028. Additionally, continental champions in 2027 automatically qualify for the Olympics. Thailand will host the 2027 Asian BMX Racing Championships, planned for May or June. The Cycling Association of Thailand will coordinate with the Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC) to finalize the event schedule, General Decha concluded.