"Coach Ott" has made his decision after the Thailand women's volleyball team won their 4th Asian Championship and qualified for the 2028 Olympics.
On 1 September 2026, the Thailand women's national volleyball team returned from China to Thailand last night (31 August 2026) after winning the 2026 Asian Women's Volleyball Championship for the 4th time, securing their ticket to the 2028 Olympic Games for the first time in Thai history. A large crowd of Thai volleyball fans welcomed them back.
Coach Ott, Kiattipong Radchatagriengkai, the head coach who led the team to Olympic qualification, said this success was driven by the support of all Thai sports fans, and that they have now secured their Olympic ticket.
"We now have two years left to prepare for the Olympics, and the association will work closely with the Sports Authority of Thailand to build the best possible team. We will need the support of Thai people again, as we likely have to develop many new players to strengthen the squad," he added.
Coach Ott spoke about the goals in preparing the team for Thailand women's first Olympic appearance:
"There are about 24 months left, roughly two years. The association and the president will work closely with the government and the Sports Authority of Thailand to plan how to prepare our team to be the best."
"We ask for encouragement from all the fans once again, because in the next two years, we will need to build many new players in every position. Please support the young players who will replace the current team members."
"There may be periods with many losses or injuries, and it will be a struggle, but I believe that by 2028, it will be a good time for everyone."
Coach Ott also joked about the team's promise to repay vows after qualifying for the 2028 Olympics, before moving on to the 2026 Asian Games: "In the next few days, everyone will go to their duties, no rest yet. They have to fulfill their vows (laughs) because they promised at many places."
"Thank you to all the athletes and fans who made vows for us. Whoever made a vow, please fulfill it."
Next, the Thailand women's volleyball team will compete in the 2026 Asian Games from 16 September to 3 October 2026 in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The Thai team is in Group C along with Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Chinese Taipei.
The best results for Thailand women's volleyball in the Asian Games were a silver medal in 2018 in Indonesia, and two bronze medals in 2014 in South Korea and 2022 in China.
The Thailand women's volleyball team is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who praised the team's achievements, on 3 September at the Government House before departing for training camp in Japan to prepare for the 2026 Asian Games.