Thailand first participated in the Olympics at the 1952 Helsinki Games and it took the country 24 years to win its first medal.
National taekwondo coach Choi Young Seok, second right, and his Olympic fighters, from left, Pen-ek Karaket, Chanatip Sonkham and Rangsiya Nisaisom.
Boxer Payao Poontarat became Thailand's first Olympic medallist when he took a bronze at the 1976 Montreal Games and the kingdom has since won at least one medal in every Games it has taken part in.
It did not attend the 1980 Moscow Games as it chose to join the US-led boycott.
Thailand's first Olympic gold was won by boxer Somluck Kamsing at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. It has since claimed at least one gold in every Olympics.
However, the golden run may end in London.
Of the 37 Thai athletes who will be competing at the July 27-Aug 12 Olympics, only a few have a genuine chance of winning a medal _ and most of those do not include gold.
Many officials, critics and observers believe it will be "very difficult" for Thailand to win a gold at London.
"Our preparations have not been as good as they were in previous Olympics and athletes have not had the proper support from concerned parties including the Sports Authority of Thailand," said SAT deputy governor Sakol Wannapong.
"It will be very tough for our athletes to be successful in London."
Three boxers
Kaew Pongprayoon.
Boxing has been Thailand's most successful Olympic sport with the country's first medallist (Payao), first silver winner (Tawee Ampornmaha, 1984), first champion (Somluck Kamsing, 1996) and first and only multi-medal winner (Manus Boonjumnong, gold 2004 and silver 2008) all being boxers.
In all, boxers have won 13 medals (four golds, three silvers and six bronzes) out of Thailand's 21 medals.
There were eight Thai boxers at the 2008 Beijing Games but only three will compete at London _ Kaew Pongprayoon (49kg), Sailom Ardee (52kg) and Chatchai Butdee (60kg).
Former national boxing coach Juan Fontanils has said he is saddened by Thailand's slump and dismissed the boxers' chances of winning gold.
The Cuban, who guided three Thai boxers to Olympic gold, said Kaew, Sailom and Chatchat are not among the top-ranked amateur fighters in the world.
"I am saddened that I do not see Thai amateur boxers in the top rankings," said Fontanils who is now a coach in Mexico.
He said the trio might be too old and could face tough challenges from younger opponents.
"Amateur boxers who are over 25 years old are going to face fierce competition from much younger and faster boxers," Fontanils said.
"The young ones can recover much sooner than the old ones. They also much energy to last longer than the old ones."
Kaew is 32, Chatchai 27 and Sailom 26.
Taweep Jantararoj, who was president of the now-defunct Amateur Boxing Association of Thailand, also dismissed the boxing team's chances of winning the top prize in London.
"It will be very difficult for any of them to win gold in London," said Gen Taweep whose men won two gold, two silver and one bronze medals at the previous two Olympics when he was the country's amateur boxing boss.
"They have not had any warm-up tournaments before London so they lack the experience needed for such a big event."
But Gen Boonlert Kaewprasit, president of the country's new amateur boxing governing body Thailand Boxing Association, is confident that his men will win at least one gold in London.
He has vowed to step down if his boxers return home without a gold medal. Kaew, 32, is considered Thailand's best hope in boxing in the Kamphaeng Phet native's first and last Olympic appearance.
While he is regarded as the most skilful among the trio, there are a large number of good fighters in the 49kg division including reigning Olympic and world champion Zou Shiming of China.
Kammanit Nareerak, who coached the Thai boxing team at the 2008 Games, said Chatchai might be the best bet because the 52kg class does not contain the same quality.
Sailom is seen as the weakest among the three and experts believe the best he could achieve in London is a bronze.
Inexperienced lifters
Thailand has been successful in weightlifting after the women's event was introduced in 2000.
Weightlifter Khassaraporn Suta became Thailand's first female medallist and also the country's first medallist in a sport other than boxing when she claimed a bronze in Sydney.
Sutiya Jiewchaloemmit.
Four years later, Udomporn Polsak became the kingdom's first female champion with fellow weightlifter Pawina Thongsuk also winning gold in Athens.
Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarakoon continued the weightlifting team's winning run at the 2008 Beijing Games.
However, injury-plagued Prapawadee has been axed from the London squad after suffering a slump in form since her glorious spell in Beijing.
Thailand's four female lifters at London are young and inexperienced at the higest level and seem unlikely to claim gold.
The quartet are Panida Khamsri and Siriwimol Pramongkol in the 48kg division, and Pimsiri Sirikaew and Rattikan Gulnoi in the 58kg category.
None of them have ever won a major title at senior level.
Maj Gen Intarat Yodbangtoey, president of the Thai Amateur Weightlifting Association of Thailand, believes the team will win four medals.
"If they can perform to their standards they have shown during training, I am sure that they will get four medals," he said.
"But it is too difficult to say which medals we will get."
However, he admitted that it was difficult for Panida, 23, and Siriwimol, 18, to win gold in the 48kg class as world champion Tian Yuan of China is in a class of her own.
Intarat's best hope is Pimsiri while Rattikan is expected to win bronze.
The general also tipped Jatuporn Chinwong (77kg) to become the country's first medallist in the men's weightlifting.
Taekwondo aims high
Thailand made its taekwondo debut at the 2004 Olympics and Yaowapa Burapolchai promptly won the country's first-ever medal in Korea's martial art when she won bronze in the women's 49kg division in Athens.
Buttree Puedpong took silver at the Beijing Games, also in the 49kg class, and Thai officials believe it's time for the kingdom to secure its first taekwondo gold.
There will be three Thai exponents in London _ Pen-ek Karaket (men's 52kg), Chanatip Sonkham (women's 49kg) and Rangsiya Nisaisom (women's 57kg).
Pen-ek, 22, is the team's best hope after the country's top fighter Chutchawal Khaw-laor retired in May due to injury.
He is seeded third so he has a high chance of advancing to the later rounds.
"I always expect a gold medal in every event I compete in. I never think, 'Oh I'll do my best and that's good enough!' Everyone wants gold at the Olympics but there is only one winner. I must make it," said Pen-ek, whose name loosely means "to be number one."
Chanatip, 21, was Buttree's training partner before she won silver in Beijing so she should know what it takes to win an Olympic medal.
"I want to win a medal for my parents," said the Phatthalung fighter.
Rangsiya, 18, is the reigning 62kg world champion but she will compete in the 57kg division in London because weight classes at the Olympics and other major events are different.
Thailand's Korean coach Choi Young Seok said: "It may be our time to win gold and everybody expects us to achieve that.
"We don't want to say if we will win gold or not. All I can say is we will do our best.
"Taekwondo is a tough sport because you have to fight many bouts in one day to get gold.
"The London Games look tougher than the two previous Olympics but we are better prepared."
Thai taekwondo chief Pimol Srivikorn said Pen-ek and Chanatip had good chances of success as they are seeded third and seventh respectively.
Rangsiya is unseeded but Pimol believes she "won't disappoint her supporters."
Other contenders
Badminton star Ratchanok Inthanon is the world's best junior having won three consecutive world youth titles from 2009.
"I want to win an Olympic medal. If not now, then next time," said the 17-year-old.
Mixed doubles badminton pair Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthongkam have played together for years and their confidence has been boosted by their win at the 2012 Indonesian Open.
Sutiya Jiewchaloemmit was fifth in the women's skeet at the 2008 Olympics and she is aiming to shoot down a medal this time.
"I am much better than I was four years ago," she said.
