Female footballers of Thailand rejoice at a goal in a match against Singapore in SEA Games 31 on May 10. (Photo: VNA) In an article on May 12, the newspaper reportedthat the Kingdom got the first gold on May 11 in pencak silat.
It noted that there are 40 sports offering 527gold medals at the Vietnam Games which end on May 23. The sports includeOlympic events such as athletics, swimming, boxing and football as well asregional ones like sepak takraw and pencak silat. There are also severalmartial arts including Muay Thai, kickboxing, vovinam, kurash and jiu-jitsu.
The article said Thailand have been the mostsuccessful nation in the tournament, with 13 overall crowns since the event waslaunched as the Southeast Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games in 1959.
However, the Thais have failed to finish top inthe medal standings in the previous two Games.
The Thais were third overall with 92 golds at the2019 edition in the Philippines.
Thailand are sending 189 athletes to Vietnam andthe Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) aims for the squad to win 112 goldmedals.
SAT governor Gongsak Yodmani said the numbershould be good enough for Thailand to finish second overall behind Vietnam,adding that his agency targets the Thais to win 72 gold medals in"international sports".
According to the SAT's Elite Sports DevelopmentDepartment, there are 22 international sports at the Vietnam Games includingswimming, athletics, boxing, cycling, football, weightlifting, golf, taekwondo,rowing, tennis, shooting and triathlon.
Gongsak said the SEA Games should be a venue foryoung athletes to hone their skills to become good enough for the Asian Gamesand the Olympics.
"We should focus on which nations will bebetter in international sports," he was quoted as saying by Bangkok Post.
"When we host the Games in 2025, I can assureyou that we will mainly organise international sports which are events at theAsian Games and the Olympics," he said.
Thailand aim to win 12 gold medals in athletics,10 in shooting and skeet, eight in rowing, five in boxing, five in sepaktakraw, five in Muay Thai, four in football and futsal, three in taekwondo andthree in dance sport, among others./.
VNA
