Bangkok: “Joe Suebsak,” manager of the Thai women’s national sepak takraw team, is pursuing justice for the sepak takraw athletes, who were deducted 1.9 million baht in prize money, leaving only 100,000 baht for each athlete. Pol. Lt. Col. Suebsak Phansueb, a former member of the Thai national sepak takraw team and winner of seven Asian Games gold medals, is currently at the forefront of this battle for fairness.

According to Thai News Agency, Pol. Lt. Col. Suebsak, who has a record of success in the Asian Games with gold medals won in Bangkok in 1998, Busan in 2002, Doha in 2006, and Guangzhou in 2010, expressed his discontent on his personal Facebook page, Joe Suebsak. He highlighted the unfair distribution of prize money awarded to athletes. The athletes reported receiving only 100,000 baht each, as opposed to the 2,000,000 baht they were initially promised. Suebsak noted that despite his previous complaints, the issue has not been resolved.

Pol. Lt. Col. Suebsak has disclosed that the women’s team faced similar issues at the most recent Asian Games. The young athletes approached him to discuss the deductions. The five gold medalists were supposed to receive 4 million baht in total, but only ended up with 2.1 million baht. They individually received 1.9 million baht from the individual team, totaling 9.5 million baht.

In response to these grievances, all five athletes have filed a police report and authorized Pol. Lt. Col. Suebsak to assist them. Despite being sued himself, he is determined to prevent similar incidents and ensure justice for the athletes. Pol. Lt. Col. Suebsak remains committed to advocating for the rights of the athletes and pursuing a resolution to this ongoing issue.