Sports Minister Pledges to Overhaul Sports Fund Budget Management
Thailand's sports minister pledged to overhaul management of the country's 4-billion-baht National Sports Development Fund after hearing complaints from 17 sports associations that budget allocations are meager, delayed, and often diverted
Sports Minister Surasak Punthacharoenworrakul held a tense three-hour meeting with the Thai Sports Association to find ways to restructure the National Sports Development Fund's budget management in compliance with legal regulations. The minister gathered input from 17 sports association representatives on July 20 to discuss problems and obstacles in sports association administration and athlete development, particularly complaints that support from the national sports fund and the Thai Sports Organization has been insufficient and delayed.
All associations reported the same issue: budget allocations from the fund are meager, some receive nothing at all, and restrictive conditions make accessing funds difficult. Meanwhile, the fund's original purpose was to support sports associations in developing athletes toward excellence, yet it has shifted toward sponsoring sporting events run by private companies in sports not part of major competitions like the Olympics, Asian Games, or SEA Games—often without the relevant sports associations even knowing. Simultaneously, athletes under association care face budget cuts, particularly in athlete stipends, with youth Olympic preparation camps recently reduced to just one month before competition. The minister asked associations to resubmit funding requests and said he would track down unpaid support from fiscal years 2024 and 2025.
All associations agreed that fund money must be used properly, without waste or duplication, through a cooperative framework with the Thai Sports Association as the core partner working alongside the Thai Sports Organization under unified standards. The state should set fund allocation policy, oversee, monitor, and evaluate priorities: Olympic competitions first, international federation championships second, national team athlete development third, and sports association capacity-building fourth. Associations agreed that fund money should build systems rather than simply support activities.
After nearly three hours of discussion, Minister Surasak said the main problem is the fund's budget structure must be reformed to comply with law and match its original purpose, with clear policy supporting associations to develop athletes toward excellence. "This problem has dragged on nearly ten years through five previous ministers," he said. "I will work fully to ensure this 4-billion-baht fund is allocated appropriately without harming association support."
Olympic Committee of Thailand Chair Assoc. Prof. Pimon Sriwirom thanked the minister for his commitment.
