Thailand will send four padel athletes to compete at the 20th Asian Games in Japan as the sport has been included as a medal event in the regional tournament for the first time.
While the Thailand Padel Association is in the process of registering as a recognised national sports association with the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), the national team has received approval from the National Olympic Committee of Thailand (NOCT) and will now be able to participate in the Asiad in September.
"The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) had previously requested the participation of padel athletes from the National Olympic Committee of Thailand, citing the positive performance of Thai athletes at the Asia Cup in Doha, Qatar, last October. Thai female athletes achieved a sixth-place finish out of 17 countries, and since the sport's Asian governing body is recognised by the OCA, there is a desire for Thailand to send athletes to this year's Asian Games," said Supalak Chairot, president of the Thailand Padel Association.
"However, the Padel Association is in the process of registering as a recognised national body with the Sports Authority of Thailand and therefore our athletes cannot compete under the allocated budget. We thank the Thai Olympic Committee for its effort in finding a way to send our athletes to the Asian Games, but the association will be responsible for all expenses," she added.
There will be two events -- the men's doubles and women's doubles -- and two gold medals up for grabs at the 20th Asian Games. The Thai team include two men and two women: Arnav Rawal, Stefano Mocciolamale, Natalie Narkprasert and Darres Srirungreang. They are coached by Spaniard Miguel Melero Bernal.
Thailand's strongest competitors are hosts Japan, Iran, and Indonesia, added Supalak. The padel competition will be held from Sept 29 to Oct 3.
