Thai sports cause controversy, 4 months without paying salaries to athletes attending SEA Games

Yesterday afternoon, Thai sports officials held a meeting to discuss preparations for the 33rd SEA Games, the country's most important sporting event this year. At this meeting, a burning issue was discussed...

That is the allowance for athletes preparing to participate. Mr. Thana Chaiprasit, Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand, frankly expressed his concern when he learned that since April, the country's athletes have had to practice without pay.

“The athletes’ allowances for preparation must be disbursed from the National Sports Development Fund. They have not received a single penny in the past four months. The last payment was in April. This has significantly affected the athletes’ mental health, as well as the association’s management plan,” the official said.

Mr. Thana Chaiprasit also said that this was an act of humiliation for the country's sports: "Currently, there is no information about when the subsidy will be received from the Sports Authority of Thailand. If news about this issue spreads throughout ASEAN, it will only cause humiliation for our sports community."

Thai athletes are expecting subsidies from the country's sports.

“I believe that the issue of athlete subsidies should be resolved soon. Otherwise, it will negatively affect the mental health of athletes who have devoted time and effort to training,” he expressed concern.

Thailand sent more than 2,000 athletes to the 33rd SEA Games, the largest number among the delegations. They participated in all the events of the Games. Therefore, the amount of money paid to the athletes is very large. With 4 months of unpaid wages, the host country of the 33rd SEA Games is certainly making it difficult for the athletes to relax during the preparation for the campaign.

In fact, some agencies have had to borrow money to advance athletes. “Many federations are having to solve their own urgent problems and raise funds to pay athletes’ salaries. Some leaders even borrowed money from public service cooperatives to provide for their athletes,” Thana Chaiprasit explained.

Source: https://znews.vn/the-thao-thai-lan-gay-tranh-cai-4-thang-khong-tra-luong-cho-cac-vdv-du-sea-games-post1574370.html