Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Wednesday told Thailand's athletes for the SEA Games to aim high.
During a meeting with the Thai delegation for the biennial event to be held in the Philippines from Nov 30-Dec 11, the prime minister also said they should think about the country and that all parties concerned should help in the country's sporting development.
"Although we have a limited budget, you should aim high,'' Gen Prayut told the delegation at Government House.
"You have to think about yourselves and your country. You should use your wisdom to solve problems and make friends with foreigners."
He said they should accept win or defeat with sportsman spirit.
"You should not complain too much with the referees. Sometimes I feel irritated when I see this. I think the fans also feel this way," he said.
"If you play with anger, you won't get a good result. When I get angry, my work becomes bad."
Prayut told them to help promote the country's culture.
"Your phones should have photos of various Thai foods and tourist destinations," he said. "You should use social media in a good way."
He said the government wanted to use sports to help make the people healthier.
"I may talk about a lot of issues today. But please don't get fed up because I will be in office for a long time," Prayut said, jokingly.