Thailand is insisting on hosting three major sports events next year as the government is confident about health screening standards for over 10,000 international athletes.
Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, the tourism and sports minister, said every athlete and staff member involved with the competitions has to undergo quarantine in hotels or accommodation in stadiums before the tournaments begin.
Thailand has been chosen by the Badminton World Federation to host three major tournaments throughout January at Impact Muang Thong Thani, with a 320-million-baht budget.
The first tournament will be the Yonex Thailand Open, which will run from Jan 12-17, followed by the Toyota Thailand Open from Jan 19-24, before closing with HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2020 from Jan 27-31, which will attract top-seeded foreign players to Thailand.
He said spectators can participate in the events as usual, while live broadcasts are available for international audiences.
Virus prevention measures mean the stadium expects to accommodate only 5,000 people, down from 10,000 for previous competitions.
In May, the country is scheduled to host the 2021 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (Aimag) in Bangkok and Chon Buri, with a budget of 1.2 billion baht.
The sixth edition of 24 sporting competitions is expected to welcome 9,000 foreign athletes and staff, bringing in tourism receipts of 1 billion baht to the local economy.
Meanwhile, the 2021 MotoGP will be held in Buri Ram with a 300-million-baht budget during Oct 10-12, after the race was postponed from this year because of the pandemic.
The cabinet in July approved Thailand extending the licence for this motorcycle race for five years, from 2021-2025.
This race normally draws 1,000 international participants to Thailand, including organisers, athletes and team staff.
However, he said the audience is likely to decrease to 170,000 spectators from 240,000 at the previous edition, with revenue dipping from 3 billion baht to 2 billion.
