Thanukiat revealed they are awaiting the processing to pay allowances directly to athletes after the National Youth Games.
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Due to ongoing issues with delayed athlete allowance payments, the National Sports Development Fund began trialing a new payment method by transferring allowances directly to athletes. This started with the 6th Asian Beach Games in China in April and the 41st National Youth Games in Surat Thani Province from 7-17 May, receiving both support and opposition.
Recently, Mr. Thanukiat Chanchum, manager of the National Sports Development Fund, said that 99 percent of athletes are very satisfied with the direct allowance transfers because previous delays were caused by a multi-step system. This year, transfers were made directly to associations and athletes. For the Asian Beach Games, 100 percent of allowances were claimed. Over 13,000 provincial sports associations have claimed 60-70 percent in the first round. Those unable to claim faced minor issues such as difficulty with online submissions, incomplete documents, or association presidents not approving claims, requiring further understanding.
Mr. Thanukiat added that other management questions remain. Some coaches have had problems receiving transfers due to factors like needing system approvals or incorrect data entries preventing authorization. Some youth athletes cannot open bank accounts because banks do not support them, so payments must be made on-site. Some banks do not allow account openings. Some also prefer returning to the old system of payments through sports associations.
When asked if direct allowance payments would continue for the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, from 19 September to 4 October, the National Sports Development Fund manager said, “Ultimately, we must review the intent behind the allowance—who it is for, who receives it, and the pros and cons. We are currently processing results and will summarize and present them to the fund’s committee after the National Youth Games, by the end of May.”