Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong has appointed Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as an advisor to the committee assessing Thailand's readiness to bid for the 5th Youth Olympic Games in 2030.
The appointment is based on the Cabinet resolution on Oct 6, 2020 which approved Thailand's decision to switch its bid to host the 5th Youth Olympic Games from 2026 to 2030.
To support this effort, Sorawong has set up the committee assessing Thailand's readiness in the Youth Olympic Games bid and appointed Khunying Patama as the advisor to the committee.
The committee is chaired by the minister's advisor, with the Governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand serving as vice chairman.
The committee comprises representatives from key organisations, including the National Olympic Committee of Thailand, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Education, the Budget Bureau, and the Department of Physical Education, among others.
The committee is tasked to conduct a feasibility study and evaluate Thailand's readiness in various aspects such as competition format, venue locations, sports categories, athletes' accommodations, transportation, budget allocation, and other relevant factors. The findings will be proposed to the cabinet.
Previously, Khunying Patama was appointed by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra as an advisor to the organising committee for the 33rd SEA Games, which Thailand will host from Dec 9–20.