Thailand have won Olympic medals in only three sports -- boxing, weightlifting and taekwondo.
But while the Kingdom's boxing and weightlifting associations have seen their athletes claim golds, the Taekwondo Association of Thailand (TAT) is still looking for its first Olympic champion.
Thai taekwondo fighters have secured at least one medal in every Games since Athens 2004 when Yaowapa Burapolchai took bronze to become the country's first Olympic medallist in Korea's martial art.
In all, Thai taekwondo exponents have brought home two silver and three bronze medals from the Games.
The TAT's wait for the Olympic top prize could end in Tokyo although there are only two Thai fighters at the 2020 Games -- Panipak Wongpattanakit (women's 49kg) and Ramnarong Sawakwiharee (men's 58kg).
"It's time for us to win a gold medal. I am confident that we will achieve this," TAT president Pimol Srivikorn said.
Pimol, who has been TAT chief since 2007, is pinning his hope on Panipak, the top-ranked fighter in the women's 49kg division.
Panipak, 23, has won two world titles, an Olympic bronze medal and an Asian Games title, among other achievements.
"Panipak has beaten most of her potential opponents so they may be afraid of her," said Pimol.
"She has won the world title twice so it's a good opportunity for her to win an Olympic gold medal."
Although the Tokyo Games have been delayed for one year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Pimol said this would not affect the bid to win a historic gold medal in taekwondo.
Panipak, who is nicknamed 'Tennis,' was a title contender at Rio 2016 but had to settle for bronze.
She knows that expectations for her to land gold in Tokyo are high but she does not feel under pressure.
"People think that I have a high chance of winning gold but I don't feel under pressure from their expectations," the Surat Thani native said.
"I try to enjoy the game in every match and don't underestimate opponents. I have also studied opponents' strong and weak points."
The Surat Thani native has not competed for one year because of the coronavirus outbreak but that is not a problem for her.
"Although the Olympics has been postponed for one year and I have not competed for a long time, I am not worried about it because I have sparred every day," she said.
"The coaches have set up a training programme like in a competition. I also train the mental side and visualise that I am competing in Tokyo."
The 2018 Asian Games champion is already looking beyond the Tokyo Olympics.
"No matter what the result in Tokyo is, I will continue competing," Panipak said, quashing rumours that she would quit after the 2020 Olympics.
National coach Choi Young-Seok said Panipak might have had a better chance of winning gold if the Tokyo Games had been staged last year.
But the Korean coach believes Panipak is still good enough to take gold now.
Meanwhile, Ramnarong, 24, is seen as a rank outsider, but Pimol said he could be a dark horse. "He could spring a surprise like Tawin Hanprab who won silver at the 2016 Games," he said.
Panipak and Ramnarong will both be in action on July 24, one day after the opening ceremony of Tokyo 2020 which ends on Aug 8.
Instant video replay
Ever since a series of controversial matches at Beijing 2008 threatened taekwondo's future on the Olympic stage, the Korean combat sport has been busy proving its worth at subsequent Games, largely with the help of technological innovations, Reuters reported.
London 2012 saw the introduction of instant video replay and the PSS, or protector and scoring system, in which electronic sensors built into protective gear were automatically linked to the scoreboard to record valid points and make scoring fairer.
Rio four years later adopted an octagonal mat -- favoured by mixed martial arts -- to speed up fights and make it more engaging for spectators.
That tradition will continue at the Tokyo Games this year.
At the Makuhari Messe arena in Chiba, near Tokyo, taekwondo athletes will be captured by 100 4D cameras to provide 360-degree, Matrix-style scans of video replays.
Competition uniforms will also be refreshed and easier on the eyes, using high-tech materials.
With far less room for human error and contentious calls, taekwondo will hope to put its best foot forward.