Thai teams eager to build on successful year

Thai teams eager to build on successful year

Sports chiefs target more glory at SEA Games while women's and men's football teams will have high-stakes matches

It is expected to be an exciting year for Thai sports with retaining the SEA Games overall title and winning Olympic berths the country’s main targets.

Thai players celebrate with coach Kiatisak Senamuang after winning the men's football title at the 2013 SEA Games.

The SEA Games will be held in Singapore in June and Thai sports bosses have said the Kingdom must retain the overall crown.

“We must retain the overall title,’’ said Thai Olympic chief Yutthasak Sasiprabha. “Also, the men’s football team must retain the title.”

The 2016 Olympic qualifying rounds of several sports will be held this year and Gen Yutthasak said Thailand must secure as many tickets as possible.

Thailand earned 37 spots at the 2012 Olympics and the country should secure more than that for the Rio Games, he said.

Yutthasak said Thailand should also bid to host big events such as the Olympics and Asian Games.

“Thailand alone is unable to host the Olympics so we may join hands with AEC [Asean Economic Cooperation] members for a joint bid. I think we have a chance of becoming successful,’’ he said.

Thailand will have a tough assignment at the 2015 Fifa Women's World Cup.

The AEC will take effect at the end of this year, and members also have raised the idea of a joint bid to host the Fifa World Cup.

Thana Chaiprasit, Thailand’s chief of delegation in international sporting events, said the country’s target at the Singapore SEA Games would be to retain the overall title.

“It may not be easy for Thailand to retain the overall title because there will be several sports which are not international disciplines and we are not good at such as netball and floorball,’’ Thana said.

“At the same time, some sports that we are good at were axed from the Games. However, I don’t think Singapore will be our main rivals. Indonesia and Vietnam could be our main opponents.”

Meanwhile, there will be several football tournaments, including the qualifying for the 2018 World Cup and 2016 Olympics.

Kiatisak Senamuang will begin his reign as the official national coach at the King’s Cup to be held in Nakhon Ratchasima from Feb 1-7.

Without a formal contract, Kiatisak guided the U23 side to win the SEA Games gold medal in 2013 and finish fourth at the 2014 Asian Games, and steered the full national team to regain the AFF Suzuki Cup title last month.

The Thai women's volleyball team will defend the Asian title this year.

The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) gave him a four-year contract last week.

“We have not won the King’s Cup for seven years and we want to win it for the King,’’ said Kiatisak, whose squad will face Croatia, South Korea and North Korea in the four-team King’s Cup.

Thailand will play in the qualifying round of the AFC U22 Championship in March.

Thailand will host Group B against North Korea, the Philippines and Cambodia in Bangkok from March 23-31.

The top team of each of the 10 qualifying groups plus the five best second-placed teams will advance to next year’s AFC U22 finals in Qatar where the top three teams will earn berths for the 2016 Olympics.

FAT president Worawi Makudi has promised to give the team 100 million baht if they qualify for the Rio Olympics.

In June, the U23 team will defend the SEA Games title while the full national side will begin the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign. Worawi will give the full national team 300 million baht if they secure the country’s first ever men’s World Cup finals berth.

“Winning a World Cup berth is not impossible for us,’’ said Worawi.

Thailand will make their first ever appearance at the Women’s World Cup, to be held in Canada from June 6-July 5.

The Thais are grouped with two former world champions in Germany and Norway, as well as fellow debutants Ivory Coast.

Although they are in a tough group, they may be able to qualify for the second round as one of the four best third-placed teams by beating Ivory Coast.

In volleyball, the Thai women’s team will defend the title they won in Nakhon Ratchasima in 2013 at this year’s Asian championship, to be held in China in May.

The top four teams at the tournament will earn spots for the 2016 Olympic qualifying round.

It will most likely be the last chance for several veterans of the current national team to win an Olympic berth as they will be too old for the 2020 Games.

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