Thailand's U23 football team will make a run into the later stages of the 20th Asian Games while the women's volleyball players will bring home a medal.
That was the view of the Sports Authority of Thailand Governor Dr Gongsak Yodmani as he assessed the country's prospects in two of the most popular sports in the country.
In the men's football competition, Thailand have been drawn in the same group as hosts Japan, Kyrgyzstan and Hong Kong and the SAT governor sees it as a good opportunity to compete against a world-class team like Japan.
"At the Asian Games, it will be a U23 competition and Thailand are in Group A with Japan, Kyrgyzstan, and Hong Kong. Being in the same group as the host nation Japan, a world-class team, is a great opportunity, as it's not often we get to face a team of this calibre. I believe that with the potential of the Thai national team, we should be able to get to the later rounds," said Gongsak.
He continued, "As for the women's indoor volleyball team, we won the Asian title before and also won a medal at the Asian Games. Therefore, we have a chance to win a medal again. Thailand are in Group C with Taiwan, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia and I am confident that we will at least reach the semi-finals."
The SAT chief added that Thailand's strongest opponents in women's volleyball will be China, Japan, and South Korea.
Fifteen countries are participating in the men's football competition, with teams divided into four groups. Teams will play a round-robin format, with the top two sides from each group advancing to the knockout round.
In indoor women's volleyball, 14 countries are divided into four groups and the top two teams from each group will progress to the knockout round.
The 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nogoya will take place between Sept 19 and Oct 4. The football competition will start earlier, with Thailand taking on Kyrgyzstan in the opening Group A match on Sept 16. The women's volleyball competition will also begin on Sept 16.
