Thai Women's Volleyball Targets Gold at Asian Games
Thailand's defending Asian champion women's volleyball team aims for their first-ever Asian Games gold medal at the 2026 Nagoya Games after completing preparation training in Japan. The squad, seeking to improve on their silver medal from 2
Thailand's women's volleyball team is fully prepared after completing a 10-day training camp in Japan starting September 4. The team, coached by Kiartipong Ratchtagrienggai, is determined to compete as the reigning Asian champion at the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, running from September 19 to October 4, 2026. Federation president Somporn Isobangyong stated that the overseas camp was beneficial, allowing players to acclimate to Japanese conditions and gain valuable experience by training with top Japanese league clubs.
Isobangyong emphasized that public expectations are high for this Games. He rallied the team, noting that Thailand's volleyball squad has never won a gold medal at the Asian Games and stressed the importance of achieving this milestone. The team's ambition mirrors their recent qualification success for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Women's volleyball at the 20th Asian Games runs September 16–22, with 14 teams divided into four groups. Thailand is in Group C alongside Chinese Taipei, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia. Thailand's opening match is against Mongolia on September 16 at 2:00 PM Thai time, followed by Kyrgyzstan on September 17 at 5:00 PM and Chinese Taipei on September 18 at 5:00 PM. All three matches will be broadcast live on PPTV HD 36.
Thailand's best Asian Games result is a silver medal from the 2018 Jakarta Games, where they lost to China 0–3 in the final. They have won bronze twice: in 2014 at Incheon (defeating Japan 3–0) and in 2023 in Hangzhou (defeating Vietnam 3–0).
