Sport can be deployed as a tool to cope with polarisation in the country and create national unity, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam has suggested.
Sport can turn political differences into harmony, he said on Thursday, suggesting the government might like to put money behind sports teams which could play off in competitions and keep Thais rooting for their favourites.
Wissanu: Harmony on the battlefield
Mr Wissanu was speaking at a seminar on sport reform organised by the sport reform committee, which comes under the umbrella of the National Reform Council.
Sport, he said, has the power to change people's attitudes, which in turn could help achieve national reform if everyone rallied behind the same idea.
Sport can also serve as a mediating agent to gather many people from different colours under one roof, he said.
"Why don't we transform battlefields into sports fields? It is challenging to turn rage sparked from a political rift into unity. Whether it will succeed depends on practice and procedure," Mr Wissanu said.
If the government organises weekly sporting competitions and lets Thais cheer for their teams, the public will concentrate on sporting events and help drive the country in the same direction.
The government could also set up sports clubs, and inject more money into player welfare.
The commission should propose the idea to the government as soon as possible as the council is likely to have only a year to work for the change, Mr Wissanu added.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has urged the council's 18 reform committees to each propose one project to the government, according to the "One Committee One Product" practice. This could be one of them.
Jutinan Bhirombhakdi, deputy chairman of the sports reform committee, said sports can foster both mental and physical health. It can also save spending on healthcare, as it is good for health.