Last Tuesday was probably not a good day for our country's sports sector.
Not only did Thailand's U17 national football team kick off their Asian Championship campaign with a 0-2 loss to Tajikistan,
making their chances to qualify for the World Cup finals in Qatar later this year truly difficult,
even though they still had two matches left against hosts Saudi Arabia and Myanmar.
Earlier that afternoon, there was also unwelcome news from the new sports minister, who announced the outcome of a cabinet meeting.
The government declared it was not ready to "turn" into the host of the 2030 Youth Olympic Games.
Despite Thailand having advanced to the final three candidates alongside Chile and Paraguay, with a strong chance to host this major global sports event,
the reasons given were a lack of budget and readiness, which sadly reflects the priorities of our current administration and is truly unfortunate for the sports community.
Today, I bring perspectives from Professor Ratpong Boonyanuwat, director of the Human Capital Development Innovation Center at Kasem Bundit University, who has been seriously involved in this matter, to share on Thairath Sports' #SharingThoughts platform.
After Sports Minister Surasak Panvorakul publicly announced following the cabinet meeting on 5 May 2025 that the government was not ready to host the 2030 Youth Olympic Games, despite IOC representatives recently visiting to assess readiness as part of Thailand's bid, with final consideration scheduled for late June.
Though the government cited economic problems as reasons for canceling or abandoning this global sports event, when considering the opportunities and benefits the country and society would gain, it is a regrettable loss of opportunity and potential for Thailand.
Nevertheless, ordinary citizens and sports community members, though their voices may not be as loud as those in power, want to highlight that the initiative to bid to host the Youth Olympics was developed and prepared to showcase the country's capabilities under the previous administration.
Now, this government views the country's economic challenges as preventing it from hosting a world-class sports event requiring around 5.7 billion baht in funding.
However, looking at the budget of nearly 6 billion baht combined with the benefits and added value to follow, experts note that this amount would not need to be spent immediately.
At the initial stage, specialists point out that only 10 million baht would have been required upfront!
Interestingly, regarding the sports minister's claim that budget issues led to ending or abandoning the Bangkok Youth Olympic 2030 bid, the sports community and informal discussions have begun comparing this case to other major sports events with budgets in the billions.
One example is the Moto GP event.
According to the cabinet resolution on 4 November 2025, the government under Prime Minister Anutin approved the bid to host the Moto GP World Championship from 2027 to 2031 in Buriram Province, with a budget of 3.99786 billion baht.
The rationale for supporting this event, considering the societal and national benefits, is certainly similar to that of bidding to host the 2030 Youth Olympic Games.
Given this lost opportunity for the country, it must be admitted that it is regrettable the government has taken a different perspective and discarded a valuable chance.
Above all, it seems those in government did not fully consider Thailand’s readiness confirmation sent to the IOC on 15 August 2025, which brought the bid to the final round with only three competing nations.
This decision to withdraw from hosting such a major international sports event will undoubtedly undermine international confidence in Thailand.
Especially after the Prime Minister welcomed the OCA president at Government House on 25 April 2026, affirming the government’s commitment to using sports as a key tool for youth development in potential, skills, and quality of life, alongside instilling Olympic values and fostering a peaceful society.
The government also pledged to promote Thailand as a regional sports development hub and a key platform for international cooperation...
Now that the cabinet has rejected the bid, I feel sympathy and sadness for the dedicated preparation team, including the Thai Olympic Committee led by "Big A", Associate Professor Pimol Srivikorn, the Sports Authority of Thailand governor, and all involved staff who have worked hard over a long period gathering information.
Going forward, it is clear that society—especially those devoted to sports, sports administrators, athletes, and related parties—will need to watch closely whether this government is serious and sincere about its policy to drive national sports development as stated in its parliamentary policy.
KBU SPORT POLL will engage the public by collecting opinions regarding the government's cancellation of hosting the 2030 Youth Olympic Games.
This will be done through an upcoming public opinion survey.
- Bee Bangpakong -