Athletes Use Pool Float as Makeshift Boat During Bangkok Floods
Athletes at Bangkok's flooded Sports Authority complex improvised an inflatable pool float as a boat to reach higher ground, while dozens of vehicles sat submerged awaiting the Games participants' return from Japan.
BANGKOK — Flooding at the Sports Authority of Thailand complex in Bangkok's Ramkhamhaeng area remained severe on September 27, 2026, with vehicles belonging to athletes and coaches who travelled to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games reportedly submerged up to their roofs. Several athletes and coaches had left their cars at sports associations inside the SAT compound before travelling to Japan for the Games. Meanwhile, athletes and officials from the Taekwondo Association of Thailand have improvised to cope with the flooding. They converted an inflatable swimming pool into a makeshift boat and used it to paddle across the flooded area to reach Rajamangala National Stadium, which sits on higher ground.
