Thailand takraw players ask police to reclaim $291,000 stolen from Asian Games medal bonus

Pol Lt Co Suebsak Phunsueb, a former sepak takraw star of Thailand, has filed a complaint to the police to reclaim the stolen bonuses of him and the athletes at the 2022 Asian Games. Photo taken from X

Suebsak, who won seven Asian Games gold medals, including his last in Hangzhou 2022, said each gold medal was supposed to be rewarded with 2 million baht (US$55,000). Instead, he received only 100,000 baht for the last one, while the remaining 1.9 million was allegedly taken by a group of individuals without explanation.

The women's sepak takraw team faced a similar incident. Five gold-medal winners should have received 4 million baht each for both individual and team titles, but their actual payouts amounted to just 2.1 million baht.

In total, the Thailand men's and women's team were allegedly defrauded of 9.5 million baht ($291,000).

Suebsak, now a Police Lieutenant Colonel, took to social media to seek public support, stressing that athletes deserve the full reward promised to them.

"Athletes still need to live. 9.5 million baht is a huge sum. If part of it was shared with teammates as an act of gratitude, we could understand, but this deduction is far too high. They want to know whether the deduction money really made it to other athletes," he told Siam Sport.

Suebsak officially filed a complaint with Khlong Luang police in Pathum Thani Province on Aug. 19.

"I want the money to be returned as soon as possible because this is the athletes' right. They have been waiting for a long time," he added.

Takraw Association of Thailand president Thana Chaiprasit has also urged authorities to resolve the case quickly.

Sepak takraw, a traditional Southeast Asian sport, has long been dominated by Thailand, which alongside Malaysia pioneered its inclusion in major competitions such as the SEA Games and Asian Games. Thailand remains a powerhouse, with decades of international success in both men's and women's events.