Thai Women's Rugby Squad Trains in New Zealand for 2026 Asian Games

Thailand's women's rugby team is continuing intensive preparations for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, including a training camp in New Zealand to elevate their capability and gain experience before competing at the continental level. Preechar Laloon, deputy governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand's Excellence Sports and Sports Science division, along with Police Colonel Kulthon Prachuabmueang, chairman of the Thai Rugby Football Association under Royal Patronage, and Akraporn Puengphon, director of the Excellence Sports Competition Division, visited the training camp in New Zealand to encourage the players. The New Zealand training camp focuses on building players' fitness, skills, tactics, and international experience, particularly through joint training with the Black Ferns, New Zealand's national women's rugby team and one of the world's leading programs. Preechar emphasized the importance of using sports science to support team preparation, ensuring players are mentally and physically ready and can develop their full potential before the Asian Games. Training with a world-class team like New Zealand's provides valuable experience in game intensity, decision-making speed, playing systems, and international competition standards that can be directly applied to Asian Games preparation. The team's goal at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan is to finish in the top three while maintaining Asia's ranking to qualify for the World Series.