Atthakorn Counters Olympic Committee, Points Out 1.2 Billion Baht Budget Proposed from the Start

At 9:50 AM on February 3rd, 2026, at Government House, Atthakorn Sirirattayakorn, Minister of Tourism and Sports, gave an interview before the Cabinet meeting. This followed comments by Chaiyaphak Siriwan, Vice President of the Olympic Committee of Thailand, who highlighted that the sports development budget for the Sports Authority of Thailand was cut from 2.2 billion to 1.2 billion baht, potentially impacting athlete participation in Asian Games. Atthakorn expressed concern and explained that budget usage requires approval from the Fund Committee, which set a 4.1 billion baht framework for 2026 across 12 plans. The national athlete competition plan requires 1.2 billion baht, which was approved by the Ministry of Finance in September 2023. He thanked the Olympic Committee for their concern while noting they were part of the funding committee and actually proposed the 1.2 billion baht budget. Atthakorn emphasized his commitment to finding solutions, stating he must ensure Thailand can send athletes to competitions despite budget limitations. He also mentioned previously requesting direct athlete stipend transfers to eliminate delays and improve transparency in athlete support.