On the afternoon of October 27, the Thai sports world witnessed a big stir when Pornpawee Chochuwong, a badminton player of the Thai national team, ranked 6th in the world and won 4 gold medals at the SEA Games, went to the Sports Agency of Thailand (SAT) to submit an application not to participate in the 33rd SEA Games, an event that Thailand will host.
Pornpawee revealed that over the past time, she has felt uneasy and discouraged by many incidents that have occurred in the Thai Badminton Association (BAT), especially the unfair and disrespectful treatment of some members of the BAT sports development department. After many years of perseverance, she finally decided to resign so that her juniors would not have to face similar problems.
Previously, Thai public opinion has raised a strong wave of opposition to the deduction of allowances for Thai badminton athletes, for not testing their physical condition according to the schedule. Accordingly, two Thai badminton stars, Kunlavut Vitidsarn and Ratchanok Intanon, have had their allowances deducted to 6,000 Baht (nearly 5 million VND) for not taking physical tests as scheduled.
Pornpawee Chochuwong said that she had always devoted all her heart and soul to Thailand at the SEA Games, even ignoring the Australian Open and professional tournaments in China. She will also cover most of her personal expenses, including training and travel, due to a lack of full support from BAT.
"I have no problem with the SAT or the allowances, but I am disappointed that the association did not notify me about the SEA Games physical tests. If they had informed me, I would have followed the rules," said Pornpawee.
In response to the strong reaction of Pornpawee Chochuwong, the General Secretary of BAT said he would urgently meet with the association's president, the Sports Agency of Thailand (SAT) and the Olympic Committee to find a solution so that the badminton star could return to the national team within the next one to two days.
