KBU SPORT POLL reports survey results on “Hopes and Opportunities for Thai Athletes at the 2026 Asian Games.”Tags: [sports survey, Asian Games, Thai athletes, public opinion]
With the Thai national athletes set to participate in the sports event,
the 2026 Asian Games scheduled from 19 September to 4 October 2026 in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, KBU SPORT POLL of Kasem Bundit University, through its Human Capital Development Innovation Center, together with the Institute of Sports Management (WISDOM) and the B Bangpakong page, conducted a public opinion survey titled “Hopes and Opportunities for Thai Athletes at the 2026 Asian Games.”
The survey was conducted via online platforms and telephone interviews from 7 to 9 September 2026. The sample consisted of 1,102 general public respondents aged 18 and above, including 702 males (63.70%), 352 females (31.94%), and 48 individuals identifying as LGBTQIA+ (4.36%). Overall analysis showed that
a majority of 84.60% expressed interest in following the competition, 11.52% were undecided depending on circumstances, and 3.88% were not interested.
Regarding the chances and hopes for Thai national athletes to achieve the goal of at least 15 gold medals, 33.05% believe there is a fairly high chance, 29.10% consider the chance high, 18.92% think the chance is low, 14.28% see a fairly low chance, and 4.65% are unsure.
The sports that are the greatest hopes and where Thai national athletes have the highest chances of winning gold medals are:
Rank 1: Sepak Takraw at 94.60%
Rank 2: Teqball at 91.22%
Rank 3: Women's Volleyball at 90.15%
Rank 4: Weightlifting at 88.75%
Rank 5: Athletics at 86.88%
Rank 6: Golf at 84.06%
Rank 7: Taekwondo at 82.39%
Rank 8: Boxing at 80.55%
Rank 9: Badminton at 78.80%
Rank 10: Sailing/Esports at 76.00%
Factors contributing to the success of the Thai national sports team are primarily the athletes' performance and ability (29.10%), followed by training and team preparation time (26.50%), coaching staff performance and ability (22.35%), budget and support from relevant agencies (12.90%), fairness in judging (7.11%), and others (2.04%).