6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Thailand axed

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) cancelled the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Thailand, scheduled to take place from November 21 to 30 in Bangkok and Chon Buri, due to delays in budget approval.

Thailand had been looking forward to hosting the Games after they were rescheduled four times because of the Covid-19 pandemic, making it the most postponed event in the history of Asian sports competitions. Despite improvements in the situation following the pandemic, it became evident that Thailand was not prepared to host the event. Rumours about the cancellation began circulating months ago due to a lack of progress, even though the event was only a few months away.

In response, the OCA issued an official statement cutting 14 sports from the programme to reduce costs and urged Thailand to confirm its hosting status by 19 August.

Chaiyaphak Siriwat, Vice President of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand, expressed concerns about the consequences if Thailand could not host the event.

Chaiyaphak noted that the country would be required to pay a fine to the OCA and compensation to athletes from other countries who had already booked flights and made other arrangements to prepare for the event. Furthermore, Thai athletes could face a ban from participating in the next competition in 2026.

Kongsak Yodmanee, the Director of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), met with OCA representatives at around 5pm yesterday, August 19, and later announced that Thailand would no longer host the upcoming Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.

Instead, the 7th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games will be held in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, although the specific date of the event has yet to be announced.

Kongsak insisted that the OCA still offered Thailand a chance to host the event and reassured Thai sports fans that it was merely a cancellation, not a ban.

Kongsak also emphasised that the approval of the budget was beyond his control and that he had been making efforts to resolve the issue, but meetings had been postponed multiple times, leading to the delay in budget approval.