Announcing the final plans, Dr Gongsak Yodmanee, Governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), said the country’s sporting bodies had coordinated closely to ensure the team is ready for the 20th edition of the Games, reports the Bangkok Post.
“The SAT and the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF), together with the national sports associations and the National Olympic Committee, have worked intensively to prepare our athletes. We expect stronger results than in Hangzhou,” he said.
At the previous Games in China, Thailand secured 12 gold, 14 silver and 32 bronze medals. Officials believe the experience of last year’s SEA Games in Bangkok and the Asian Beach Games in Sanya has provided valuable momentum. With three months remaining, training camps and support programmes are being stepped up to sharpen performance.
Funding has already been allocated not only for the Asian Games but also for the Asian Para Games, scheduled for Oct 18-24, and for live broadcasts to be carried on the T-Sports channel.
Dr Gongsak urged fans nationwide to rally behind the athletes: “We want the Thai public to cheer our team and share in their journey.”
The Games will feature 43 sports and 469 medal events, ranging from athletics, swimming and boxing to newer additions including e-sports, skateboarding and breaking. Thailand’s delegation will compete in everything from sepak takraw and taekwondo to rugby sevens, sailing and weightlifting, reflecting the breadth of the nation’s sporting ambition.
The Asian Games, first staged in New Delhi in 1951, have grown into the continent’s largest multi-sport event, second only to the Olympics in scale.
Nagoya and Aichi will host athletes from across Asia, with Japan promising state-of-the-art venues and a festival atmosphere.
With a squad of nearly 700, Thailand is aiming not just for medals but for a statement of intent at the Games.