The group that benefited from the deductions reportedly described them as a voluntary “gesture of goodwill” from the athletes, Suebsak “Joe” Phunsueb wrote on Facebook.
Sports fans have since questioned who received the remaining 95% of the bonus money and on what grounds, calling the deductions blatantly unfair to the athletes, reports the Bangkok Post.
At the 2022 Asian Games, Thailand fielded 12 players across the team singles and team competitions (known in sepak takraw as team regu). Since only five players were used in the team singles, those athletes took part in both competitions.
After winning gold medals in both events, the five were told that B1.9mn from their singles event bonuses would be pooled into a central fund, described as a long-standing “tradition” and supposedly voluntary.
However, some athletes feared that refusing to contribute might affect their future selection for the national team, according to Suebsak.
He argued that this was a flawed practice that had been carried on for years and called on the authorities to take serious corrective action.
The Takraw Association of Thailand last year held a meeting, chaired by president Thana “Tom” Chaiprasit, on the issue of the “cuts” from the Asian Games 2022 athletes’ bonuses.
Participants at the meeting voted to order the team manager and coaches involved to step down immediately. The association also confirmed knowledge of who had received the deducted money, but this information was not made public.
Suebsak’s renewed attempt to get answers has reignited the controversy over whether Thailand’s national athletes are truly being treated fairly.