"Big Ton" won decisively by 33-13 votes to become rugby president for a third term, aiming for one medal at the Asian Games in 2026. The focus is on the women's team.
As expected, member clubs overwhelmingly supported "Big Ton," Police Lieutenant Colonel Kulthan Prajuabmoa, to continue as president of the Rugby Association for a third consecutive term. He defeated Admiral Watchara Phatthanarat, former Commander of Sattahip Naval Base, by 33-13 votes with one spoiled ballot. "Big Ton" immediately declared that the 2026 Asian Games rugby team must win at least one medal, targeting the women's category. The 15-player rugby team has begun preparations to compete in the Union Cup hosted by Thailand, aiming to inspire youth to learn and appreciate rugby more.
The Rugby Football Association of Thailand under royal patronage held its 2026 Annual General Meeting on 7 April at the Miracle Grand Convention Hotel. Admiral Poklong Monthatpolin, the association's secretary-general, chaired the meeting. A key agenda item was the presidential election, as "Big Ton" Police Lieutenant Colonel Kulthan Prajuabmoa completed his 4-year term and had served two terms as president. The 2025 fiscal year budget reported revenues of 54,464,985.13 baht and expenses of 50,297,006.91 baht, leaving a surplus of 6,680,524.24 baht.
To ensure a proper election process, representatives from the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) supervised the event, attended by 47 member clubs. At the meeting, Mr. Supharat Alpach was nominated as the election chairman. Candidates for president included "Big Ton," Police Lieutenant Colonel Kulthan Prajuabmoa, president of the ASEAN Rugby Federation and two-term rugby association president, and Admiral Watchara Phatthanarat, former Commander of Sattahip Naval Base, former head of naval communications and IT, and chairman of the Navy Sports Welfare Committee.
The election results showed member clubs overwhelmingly supported "Big Ton," Police Lieutenant Colonel Kulthan Prajuabmoa, with a 33-13 vote and one spoiled ballot. Consequently, he will serve as rugby association president for his third term, a four-year period from 2026 to 2030.
Newly reelected rugby association president Police Lieutenant Colonel Kulthan Prajuabmoa said the election felt like rugby itself—win or lose, gentlemen both on and off the field. He admitted feeling nervous as it had been a long time since the last election. His immediate task is to prepare the Thai men's 15-player rugby national team for the Union Cup, a cooperative event among ASEAN countries where he serves as federation president. This year, Thailand hosts the event with eight teams competing. Importantly, they aim to use the Union Cup as a model to develop Thailand's 15-player rugby by inspiring youth to watch and learn. Their goal is to rank in the top four.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Kulthan added that the women's team must win a medal at the Asian Games, and the men's team must reach the top five. From 17 to 19 April, the Thai women's rugby 7s team will travel to compete in the Hong Kong Sevens. He said this event will assess the women's team's readiness, noting many emerging young players this year. They will not send the full main squad but will include "Noey Pogba" Jirawan Chutrakul, recently recovered from injury, as the key player to test her condition. Younger players will rotate in, and main players undergoing Navy military training will not join. They aim not to lose to Hong Kong, a main rival for Asian Games medals.