Taekwondo association chief elected as Thai Olympic president amid walkout protest

Pimol Srivikorn, president of the Taekwondo Association of Thailand, has been elected as the new president of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand (NOCT) on Tuesday, despite his opponent staging a walkout in protest over a lack of transparency in the election process.

During the 2024 Annual General Assembly at NOCT headquarter in Bangkok, candidate Suchai Pornchaisakudom, president of the Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand, along with his team, walked out, citing concerns over the unfair selection of Olympic athletes eligible to vote.

The controversy centered around the voting rights granted by NOCT to two new Olympic athletes—taekwondo athlete Tawin Hanprab and shooting athlete Thanyaporn Pruksakorn. 

However, Kaew Pongprayoon, the 2012 Olympic silver medalist, was not given the right to vote, prompting Suchai and his team to protest and withdraw from the election.

General Vitch Devahasdin Na Ayutthaya, NOCT secretary-general (centre)

Despite the protest, the election proceeded, resulting in Pimol’s victory with 38 votes—30 from sports associations, six from experts, one from the IOC and one from an Olympic athlete.

Election chairman Charoen Wattanasin (right)

Election chairman Charoen Vatanasin said that the election went smoothly and downplayed the controversy, suggesting that Suchai’s team may have simply gone to the restroom. 

He confirmed there was no conflict and denied allegations that Tawin and Thanyaporn were strategically used to influence the vote. 

He also noted that Chanatip Sonkham, a Thai taekwondo practitioner and bronze medalist at the 2012 Summer Olympics, was allowed to vote in accordance with IOC representative Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul’s guidance.

Charoen emphasised that the election process adhered to the sports constitution and should be considered transparent. 

IOC representative Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul (right)

Meanwhile, Patama congratulated Pimol on his election, stating that the process was conducted appropriately. However, when asked whether the election would be declared invalid, she declined to comment, citing a lack of expertise in the matter.

Pimol thanked all voters and noted that he had spent the past six to seven months consulting with various associations on strategies to drive NOCT’s success.

"From now on, we will work proactively to support the associations in every possible way, including promoting the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games cash prizes, increasing athlete welfare allowances, and addressing challenges," he said.

Pimol also dismissed concerns that the walkout would lead to broader conflict in the sports industry, saying that people in the industry know what to do when they win or lose in competition.

General Vitch Devahasdin Na Ayutthaya, NOCT secretary-general, one of those who walked out, stated that the issue stemmed from the lack of neutrality in the election process, particularly in the actions of the election chairman.

He explained that the rule regarding whether only former Olympic athletes could vote was not the main issue. The most critical concern was the chairman’s lack of impartiality. For instance, when one side attempted to clarify certain inaccuracies, they were not given the opportunity, and efforts were made to rush the vote to ensure only the preferred candidate was elected.

He also noted that the matter was not yet settled, as the resolution must be submitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for approval. If the IOC does not endorse it, today’s resolution and voting results will be rendered void. The IOC representative present at the meeting and witnessing the events firsthand was Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul.

He said that he would file a complaint with the IOC or the Administrative Court.