Sports Fund Approves Medal Bonus Payouts and Victory Celebration for Asian Beach Games Athletes
Thailand's sports fund approved 33.98 million baht in prize payouts for athletes who competed at the Asian Beach Games in China, with a victory celebration planned for May in Bangkok.
Deputy Prime Minister Somsakdi Thongsri presided over the 6th meeting of the National Sports Development Fund Management Committee held at Meeting Room 109, Government House, Bangkok, conducted both in-person and via video conference. The meeting was attended by Surasak Pun-Charoen, Minister of Tourism and Sports; Nathriya Tweevaongs, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports; and representatives from Thailand's Olympic Committee, Paralympic Committee, and various sports associations, along with Sports Authority of Thailand leadership.
The committee passed several key resolutions:
* Approved payment of 33.98 million baht in prize money to athletes, coaches, and sports associations for their performance at the 6th Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China, with a victory celebration scheduled for May 6 at The Grand Fourwings Convention Bangkok * Approved bonus support of 400,000 baht for Paralympic athlete Puangpraech Chaiyathongratchadej and 80,000 baht for her coach from the 13th ASEAN Paralympic Games * Endorsed the strategic framework and operational plan for the National Sports Development Fund for fiscal years 2570-2573 * Approved change of Sports Development Screening Subcommittee chair from Than Wutthitham to Karavit Maerath * Approved the 2568 annual report of the National Sports Development Fund * Endorsed risk management guidelines and internal control procedures for fiscal year 2569 * Approved guidelines for generating additional fund revenue, tasking officials to study feasibility of increasing revenue from specific excise taxes such as sugar tax and sin tax to support elite athlete development
The committee also reviewed progress reports on direct payments to athletes from the 6th Asian Beach Games and the 41st National Youth Sports Games "Surat Thani Games" finals. It approved expedited disbursement procedures for approved 2569 projects and allocated an additional 32 million baht budget to the Professional Sports Committee, including 20 million baht for the Queen's Cup Thailand Championship professional golf tournament and 5 million baht for professional snooker Point Ranking Division 1 competition.
