"Maj. Gen. Muek" plans to chase Olympic points by assembling Thai cyclists to compete internationally, fearing that the 2027 budget could impact quota acquisition.
Maj. Gen. Decha Hemkrasri revealed the Thai Cycling Association's plan to send the national cycling team to international events immediately after the 20th Asian Games to accumulate points for the 2028 Olympic Games across road, track, and BMX racing disciplines. He emphasized the importance of every point, especially in the BMX World Cup, which offers up to 500 points per race. He also expressed concern about the 2027 budget support, a critical period for qualification, warning that insufficient funds could directly affect Thailand's chances to secure Olympic quotas.
Maj. Gen. Decha Hemkrasri, Vice President of the Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC), President of the ASEAN Cycling Federation (ACF), and President of the Cycling Association of Thailand under Royal Patronage, revealed that the association plans to send Thai national cyclists in various categories to compete internationally to gather points for selection to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, USA. This will follow their participation in the 20th Asian Games held from 18 September to 4 October 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, across road, track, and BMX racing disciplines.
Maj. Gen. Decha stated that in road cycling, Arti Polard, a Thai-French cyclist scheduled to compete in the men's individual time trial at the Asian Games on 20 September, will then fly to Montreal, Canada, to compete in the UCI Road World Championships 2026 in the men's elite category. He will join Judah Thompson, a Thai-American cyclist competing in the under-23 men's category, and Lt. Col. Chanpeng Nontasinsri, competing in the women's elite category. Chanpeng replaced rising star Pithayaporn Saetan at short notice due to Pithayaporn's visa issues.
Maj. Gen. Decha added that other members of the Thai national team from the 20th Asian Games, both men and women, will join professional teams Thailand Continental Cycling and Thailand Women's Cycling Team to prepare for upcoming major competitions. Thailand Continental, including Lt. Col. Peeraphon Chaochiangkwang and Sgt. Bankarn Chaiyasombat, will join Sgt. Natthachat Yattan, Cpl. Nopchai Klahan, Cpl. Tulathorn Sosalam, and Apisit Suphan to compete in Le Tour de Langkawi 2026, a UCI ProSeries event in Malaysia from 27 September to 4 October.
The four female cyclists from the Asian Games—Sgt. Petchdarint Somraj, Sgt. Chaniporn Butriya, Kamonrada Khaoplad, and Pithayaporn Saetan—will join Lt. Col. Chanpeng and Natcha Songken of the Thailand Women's Cycling Team to compete in the highest-level international women's road cycling event, the Tour of Chongming Island 2026, held from 9 to 11 October in China, Maj. Gen. Decha said.
Maj. Gen. Muek further explained that the men's BMX racing team, including three-time Asian champion Sgt. Gometh Sukprasert and Putthapoom Nakpan, will fly to China immediately after the Asian Games on 28 September to compete in the 2026 UCI BMX World Cup. The event consists of four races across two cities: rounds 5 and 6 in Mentougou from 3 to 4 October, and rounds 7 and 8 in Zhongli from 10 to 11 October. These events offer high Olympic qualification points—500 points for each race winner compared to 300 points for continental champions. Currently, the Thai BMX team ranks 12th globally in the 2028 Olympic qualification standings.
Maj. Gen. Decha added that the Thai national short track cycling team, including Jai Angsuthasawit, Cpl. Naretthada Boonma, and Sgt. Yunyong Phetcharat, will travel to Shanghai, China, after the Asian Games (29 September - 2 October) to compete in the 2026 UCI Track World Championships in the team sprint and 1 km time trial events, having earned their spots based on the team's 15th-place world ranking.
"The qualification process for the 2028 Olympic Games in cycling—including road, track, BMX racing, and mountain biking—relies heavily on accumulating world ranking points. Competing internationally to earn points is essential for all nations' cyclists. However, the Cycling Association remains deeply concerned about the 2027 budget for supporting international competition participation, a crucial time for qualifying athletes for Los Angeles. In the past 2-3 years, the association has received almost no budget support. If this situation does not improve in 2027, it could severely impact Thailand's Olympic selection chances. In the 2024 Paris Olympics, Thai cyclists secured four quota spots across six events in road, track, and BMX racing," Maj. Gen. Decha concluded.