Thailand's public opinion is stirring up after the former legendary May Joe “Lang Tao” SUBSAK PHANSUEB revealed a shocking information: The bonus of 2 million baht for each athlete winning the gold medal of the Asian sports festival was “evaporated” to 1.9 million baht, causing them only to receive 100,000 baht.
Suebsak, 7 times the ASIAD championship and is currently a police colonel, said this incident not only took place in the past but also repeated in the nearest ASIAD period in Hangzhou 2023.
According to him, the group of athletes praying for Thailand to win the gold medal of the team should have received enough bonuses of 2 million baht/person, but was deducted almost all in a difficult way. “The athletes have been waiting for nearly two years but so far there is no clear answer. This is a legitimate benefit they deserve,” SUBSAK emphasized.
Facing the silence from the investigating agency and the Thai May Association, on August 19, SUBSAK led a group of athletes to the Khlong Luang police station (Pathum Thani province) to officially file a complaint, request to clarify the incident.
He said he was forced to bring the case to the law by the ambiguity in allocating bonuses that raised great doubts about transparency and fairness in sports management.
In a personal Facebook post, SUBSAK once shared: “5 athletes who receive gold medals should have been 2 million baht each. But after being deducted 1.9 million, they only left 100,000 baht. Time passed, the incident was gradually forgotten. But young athletes could not be silent, they wanted justice and reclaim their rights.”
The incident quickly attracted the attention of public opinion and Thai media. Many opinions ask who deducted that huge amount of money, and the responsibility of any agency or individual?
Mr. Thana Chaprasit, Chairman of the Thai Cloud Association, also spoke out the stakeholders to urgently solve the case, returning fairness to the athletes who have devoted glory to the country.
The incident is continuing to be closely monitored, when Thai athletes are determined to pursue to the end to reclaim the bonus of 1.9 million Baht lost. This is not only economic benefits, but also an honor and transparency in national sports.