Phuket sports office appeals to Tourism Minister for better facilities

PHUKET: Saroj Angkanapilas, president of the Sport Association of Thailand Phuket office, recently made a special appeal to Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul to help develop the island’s sports facilities.

“Phuket has held many sports tournaments, both national and international, some of which were very important,” Mr Saroj told the minister.

“But as people can see, although we do have high-quality athletes and the skilled sports officers to support them, Phuket is not yet ready to hold major sporting events for many different kinds of sports.

“We do not have the high-standard stadiums, courts and fields needed in order to host international tournaments for a wide variety of sports.”

Mr Saroj explained that his concern deepened when he attended the Thailand National Games in Nakhon Ratchasima in December.

“We went to support the Phuket athletes competing in the games, and saw that Nakhon Ratchasima has much better stadiums than we have in Phuket,” he said.

“When I saw that, it reminded me how low the standard is in Phuket. If we can improve our sports facilities, a lot of foreign and Thai athletes will want to come to Phuket, and this will help boost the island’s image in the realm of sport.

“I have to let you, as minister, be aware of this, and I urge you to see if the ministry can help us in some way.”

Minister Kobkarn was a little surprised by Mr Saroj’s appraisal of Phuket’s sports facilities.

“I often visit Phuket, and I thought that the island’s sport facilities were of high standard,” she said.

“I believe that sport is another way to develop people, and I am very glad to help Phuket in this way. I promise to raise this issue with the Department of Physical Education to see if there is anything we can do.

“However, please keep in mind that we have to work to a limited budget, so we will have to consider which sports to promote and develop, and which one is best related to Phuket’s tourism industry so we can focus on the right areas.”

— Voratuss Intasee