OCA announces cancellation of AIMAG competition. SAT holds press conference on budget audit of competition management in accordance with the order of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
Dr. Kongsak Yodmanee, Governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), presided over a press conference on the issue of the audit of the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games budget that has been disbursed in accordance with the orders of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. The press conference was attended by Mr. Prachum Boonthiam, Deputy Governor of SAT for Strategy and Information Technology, Mrs. Pronprad Samanmit, Deputy Governor of SAT for Sports Promotion, Dr. Meechai Inwood, Deputy Governor of SAT for Administration, Mr. Surasak Kerdjantuek, Deputy Governor of SAT for Sports Excellence and Sports Science, and Mr. Preecha Lalun, Deputy Governor of SAT for Professional Sports and Boxing, at Meeting Room 1, 4th Floor, Chalermprakiat Building, 7th Cycle
Birthday Anniversary of SAT on August 19, 2024.
The Governor
of SAT said that today’s press conference will be attended by the five Deputy Governors of SAT who are responsible for the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, which will be hosted by Thailand in November. There are only 2 months left, less than 3 months. In order to create a correct understanding and not to let any parties misunderstand, we must hold a press conference to clarify any doubts because SAT has a duty to prepare athletes to participate in the competition. We are in the position of the implementers, not the organizers. In the past, we have been working together all along, but we are not in a position to make any decisions. In order for all media to receive the same facts from various news issues, which are openly available information, and are empirical information about various news issues before, we would like to inform everyone as follows:
The consideration of reducing 14 sports came from the consideration of the Olympic Committee of Asia (OCA) who discussed with the representatives of the
National Olympic Committee of Thailand and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, which had previously considered together in Paris, France, to find a conclusion on the preparation for the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports confirmed that the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games will be held, but the budget must be spent appropriately in line with the number of athletes, as it will be held only 3 months after the Olympic Games. The OCA meeting proposed reducing 14 sports. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports has ordered the SAT to consider reducing the budget in line with the facts, especially in line with the 14 sports that have been reduced, as proposed by the OCA, as well as the number of athletes and participants. As the policy recipient, the SAT has been continuously working without stopping its operations. The SAT has already set a plan and prepared the relevant parts of the overall sports sector of the country, and is ready to accept the government’s policy. To mo
ve forward with organizing the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.
The SAT governor added that Thailand cannot proceed with the event without budget allocation. The previous minister held a meeting of the organizing committee to discuss details and budget plans. The Budget Bureau Committee was established as the chairman since May because of the annual budget issue. The SAT presented the plan as proposed and proceeded with the operation first, using the SAT budget for the venue. There were field visits to various areas in Chonburi Province. There were discussions on the IT system and preparations for foreign affairs and athlete accommodation, according to the signed contract that was approved by the Cabinet. However, it must proceed further. In terms of IT, there was a contract with the board without any other options, which was specified in the signed contract. The SAT negotiated to save the budget as much as possible. In the past, the SAT budget was used first. We waited for budget approval while wait
ing for the list of competitors. We could not do it. There were several meetings, but it was postponed for various reasons. We could not proceed due to lack of budget. We could not proceed. We invited a meeting and set the agenda. OCA Thailand confirmed that it still offered to host and proceed with the event. The minister will consider setting a meeting date urgently. If there is a delay, it may cause damage, including the cancellation of the event.
Finally, we will continue to organize the competition. Originally, we will consider the last day of submitting the Entry form by name on August 31st, and then hold a meeting as soon as possible. We have received a letter from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to review the budget previously spent with transparency, totaling 980 million baht, with a budget for training the main athletes of 100 million baht because the competition has been postponed from time to time due to COVID-19 or the Olympics. Therefore, in all the postponements, approximately 4 times, the
Screening Subcommittee considered the letter from the National Olympic Committee of Thailand to request continuous training. The SAT has considered allocating a budget from the National Sports Development Fund, which the SAT has seen the importance of continuous athlete development. It emphasizes training camps for years, which will use a considerable budget. The training camps are definitely not a waste because the athletes’ training camps are beneficial to the athletes and the association. These training camps make the athletes ready to participate in regional and world-class competitions. There is an assessment of transparency. There is a budget monitoring committee to inspect that the budget disbursed is in accordance with the objectives according to the SAT’s disbursement regulations. The regulations are fully complied with. As for the disbursements, various funds have been used in accordance with the objectives. Both coordination with the internal audit department of the SAT and the Office of the Audito
r General ensured that the budget was used transparently and correctly at all times.
Then at 5:30 p.m., the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) sent a letter to the SAT dated August 19, stating that according to the SAT’s letter to the acting president of the OCA, it stated that as soon as the budget is received, it will proceed with the steps to organize the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, which has not yet been concluded, because the budget that has not yet been allocated has affected many parts. In organizing the competition within 3 months, the OCA cannot accept this risk, and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has resolved to cancel the organization of the competition. If the National Olympic Committee of Thailand wishes to host the competition, it can submit a proposal after the 7th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games ‘Riyadh Games’ in Saudi Arabia once again.
Source: Thai News Agency