Thai Men's Volleyball Team Falls to China in Asian Games
Thailand's men's volleyball team lost to China 0-3 in the Asian Games quarterfinals, ending their run in the last eight. Coach Park Gi-won praised his players' effort despite the defeat and explained his second-set outburst that drew a yellow card. China advanced to the semifinals while Thailand finished eighth.
Park Gi-won, head coach of the Thailand men's national volleyball team, said he was pleased with the performance of the “Young Thai Netters” despite losing to China and being knocked out of the Asian Games quarterfinals. He also explained his emotional outburst in the second set that resulted in a yellow card. Thailand, ranked 52nd in the world and Group B runners‑up, took on third‑ranked China, Group D champions, at the Okazaki Chuo Sports Park Gymnasium in Japan for the 20th Asian Games. The Thai side showed they could compete with China’s taller players, staying even throughout each set, but ultimately fell 0‑3 with scores of 23‑25, 23‑25 and 19‑25, ending their campaign in the last eight while China advanced to the semifinals. After the match, Park Gi‑w‑South Korean coach—said, “We are not on the same level as China; they are better than us, but today I believed we could play our own volleyball.” He also addressed the incident in the second set when the Chinese coach protested an alleged Thai foul before Park lost his temper, throwing his clipboard hard onto the floor in front of the referee, earning both men a yellow card. “He overreacted, went to the referee and tried to tell him what to do. As head coach he can direct his team, and the referee is the referee—that’s his job. He holds the same position as I do with the Thai team; he can act that way, but he is not above me.” “He beat me, which means he is superior to me, right? I hope he understands.”
