“Korn” Pongsakorn Payao has a clear path to gold in wheelchair racing and invites sports fans to cheer for the Thai team at the ASEAN Para Games.
Updates on the Thai national para-athlete team ahead of the 13th ASEAN Para Games scheduled for 20-26 January 2026 in Nakhon Ratchasima province, aiming to secure their 7th overall gold medal title. The Thai team last achieved this at the 8th ASEAN Para Games in Singapore in 2015.
“Korn” Pongsakorn Payao, a 29-year-old Thai national wheelchair racing athlete in the T53 category, who holds 6 gold and 4 silver medals from three Paralympic Games (2016, 2020, and 2024), revealed that competing in the ASEAN Para Games on home soil motivates everyone to give their best. Especially since this competition is held at the Chalerm Phrakiat 80th Birthday Anniversary Sports Stadium, the regular training venue for the Thai wheelchair racing team, which gives them an advantage due to familiarity with the track. Moreover, the team has continuously received support from the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT).
The Paralympic champion wheelchair racer added that during the 2025 World Ability Sports Games, a global competition for athletes with physical disabilities held in Nakhon Ratchasima from 17-24 November 2025, it felt like competing in a Paralympic-level event due to the participation of athletes worldwide and the high intensity. This provided valuable experience for all Thai athletes. For the upcoming ASEAN Para Games, his class competitors' records so far do not pose a significant threat, so he and his teammates aim to perform at their best and strive to win as many gold medals as possible.
“I urge all Thai sports fans to support every member of the Thai para-athlete team and follow our progress. For those who feel discouraged, I hope watching and cheering at the ASEAN Para Games will inspire everyone,” Pongsakorn said.
The 13th ASEAN Para Games will feature 19 sports disciplines: athletics, archery, badminton, five-a-side football, boccia, international chess, cycling, seven-a-side football, goalball, judo, weightlifting, swimming, table tennis, sitting volleyball, shooting, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing, wheelchair tennis, and bowling, competing for a total of 493 gold medals.