A sporting ray of light

A sporting ray of light

The achievement of the women’s soccer team in reaching the World Cup for the first time is like sunshine on a cloudy day, a ray of hope in the country’s otherwise bleak political landscape.

The victory couldn’t have arrived at a more opportune time. The sports triumph is one among very few things that can unite the country, joining everyone together in a mutual sense of accomplishment and joy.

Words of praise have poured in for the female players, their coach Nuengrutai Srathongvian and manager Nuanphan Lamsam. Fifa president Sepp Blatter sent out a tweet congratulating the Thai team. He said they are “history makers” for reaching the Women’s World Cup (WWC) to be held in Canada in 2015.

Assistant manger Charnvit Pholcheewin, a former coach for the male football team, captured the national pride in his message following the triumph. Mr Charnvit said he had dreamed of seeing a Thai team playing at the World Cup once in his life. His dream has now come true.

The women’s team will no doubt run into tough matches at the WWC. No matter how things go in Canada, however, the team will serve as an inspiration for generations of athletes, for youngsters and girls in particular. The female soccer players show that Thais are not without talent, that we can become competitive at the global level through proper training and perseverance.

It’s time we as a country recognise that “soft power” and dedicate more resources to seriously developing it.

Fostering excellence in professional sports will give youngsters in the country role models. Positive aspirations are much needed considering increasing drug use, game addiction and problems of idleness.

Even without aiming for championships, nurturing a sports culture carries many other fringe benefits including better health and the ability to collaborate through teamwork.

While many private companies have admirable initiatives sponsoring athletes or giving them rewards for their achievements, the state proves to have been less generous in its support.

For the fiscal year 2013, neither sports development at the professional or recreational level was among 10 main strategic areas funded through the national budget. The top three areas, each of which received about 20% of the 2.4-trillion-baht budget, are general administration, education and the economy.

For 2014, the ministry of tourism and sports asked for a sum of 42 billion baht. The parliament’s committee cut it down by 53% to just over nine billion baht. It’s no surprise that the ministry’s permanent secretary Suwat Sithilor said the allocated amount is small compared with what the unit needs to achieve.

The ministry’s agenda for the fiscal year 2014 includes improving the country’s tourism-related sites and services, upgrading all tourism and sports infrastructure to conform to regional standards and fostering harmony among people in the restive deep South through sporting and tourism activities.

There is no question that the budget is inadequate. To prepare for the Olympics in 2016, sports associations already need one billion baht. The Federation of National Sport Associations recently said it would have to seek permission to issue a special lottery to raise funds for the task, since the sports authority does not have sufficient budget.

The success of the women’s soccer team, or the women’s volleyball team and other successful athletes before, does not happen overnight.

It took more than a decade for the women’s soccer team to get this far. Creating sports role models and sports culture will take even more time and effort. But it is a worthy task.

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