Examining the sports policies of the People’s Party and Pheu Thai Party, along with the problems they see and their solutions, ahead of the 2026 election.
On 15 Jan 2026, an overview of the sports policies of two major political parties, Pheu Thai and the People’s Party, ahead of the general election for Members of Parliament and the referendum, which will be held simultaneously at the same polling stations on Sunday, 8 Feb 2026, from 08:00 to 17:00 GMT+7.
Why address these problems (WHY).
The vulnerability of the athlete profession. : The lack of a strong professional league system leaves athletes with unstable income, short career paths, and common issues after retirement from sports.
Substandard infrastructure: Many sports fields and exercise areas suffer from neglect, abandonment, or incomplete construction due to corruption, resulting in a lack of standard facilities for competitions, training, and community recreation.
Patronage and corruption system. : Athlete selection and budget management lack transparency, causing resources to not fully reach the athletes.
Loss of economic opportunities: Thailand has not fully utilized sport tourism, especially hosting world-class events in secondary cities to distribute income and boost local economies.
What will the People’s Party do (WHAT).
Promote professional sports domestically by subsidizing leagues for popular team sports in Thailand, such as football, volleyball, and basketball.
Develop youth systems by supporting state sports schools and private sports academies, and organizing annual national youth sports competitions to provide regular competitive platforms.
Link sports with tourism by supporting sports events that both athletes and the general public can participate in, held in major and secondary cities to promote tourism, such as running and triathlon events, organized in line with international sports event standards.
Upgrade sports stadiums to meet international competition standards and improve recreational sports venues to meet local community needs.
How to succeed (HOW).
1. Provide special budget subsidies to targeted sports associations to support affiliated sports clubs, possibly through purchasing broadcast rights and airing on state TV to give associations budgets to allocate to clubs for team management.
2. Organize annual national youth sports competitions to ensure continuous training and competition for youth, with special emphasis on government-prioritized sports like football.
3. Professionally manage internationally standardized events by contracting qualified private companies certified by international organizations to organize sports competitions that support tourism.
4. Group and renovate sports stadiums using budgets to upgrade each type of stadium according to goals, divided into:
Competition stadiums: invest in technology and standards to host international-level competitions.
Recreational stadiums: focus on cleanliness, safety, and easy access for local people, with clear maintenance budgets to prevent abandonment.
Problems to solve: Currently, Thai sports face inequality and lack systematic support:
Concentrated opportunities: Sports schools or high-standard training centers are mainly in big cities, preventing talented youth in remote areas from accessing proper training.
Shortage of professional coaches: Local coaching is often informal, lacking modern sports science knowledge and skills.
Inconsistent budgets: Many sports associations, especially for smaller sports, face funding shortages to send athletes for competition or training camps long-term.
Sports not a clear career path: Many youths abandon their dreams due to perceived job insecurity in sports careers.
The “One District, One Academy” project.
Local training centers: Establish sports academies based on local popular sports in each district (e.g., Muay Thai, football, takraw, badminton) by upgrading existing stadiums to standard.
Professional coaches to communities: Hire licensed coaches and former professional athletes to work at district level to pass on correct skills and sports science to youth.
Digital scouting system: Create a nationwide database of youth athlete abilities to connect talented children directly to sports associations or professional clubs.
Continue and expand the “One Sport, One State Enterprise” initiative.
Every sport must have a host: Assign each state enterprise (such as PTT, EGAT, AOT) to be the main sponsor supporting at least one sports association.
More than just funding: State enterprises will support budgets, training facility provision, skill enhancement, and sustainable athlete career development.
Mobile sports science.
Knowledge to local areas: Establish mobile units from central agencies to deliver fitness testing technology, nutrition, and physiotherapy services and training to district-level academies nationwide.
Athlete career pathways.
Sports scholarships: Collaborate with local educational institutions to allocate quotas and scholarships for academy athletes so they can study and train simultaneously.
League development: Support creation of regional youth leagues so athletes from each district have continuous, structured competition throughout the year, not just short tournaments, pushing to develop “national athletes” who can earn sustainable incomes like “national artists.”