stonepony Posted August 31, 2004 Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/sports/story/0,4386,269950,00.html BANGKOK - Flushed with pride after its most successful Olympics with three gold medals in the bag, Thailand plans to bid for the 2016 Games, according to a newspaper report yesterday. Victory for Manus brings Thailand's gold tally to three in these Games. 'The plan will cost many billions of baht but the price is worth paying,' Tourism and Sports Minister Sontaya Kunplome was quoted as saying in The Nation newspaper. Two Thai women won weightlifting golds in Athens - sparking an immediate boom at health clubs across the country - while boxer Manus Boonjumnong added another gold yesterday morning (Singapore time). A parade will be held in Bangkok for its returning athletes with medal winners awarded handsome cash prizes. But any bid by Thailand to host the Games in 2016 would be fraught with difficulty - notably because of traffic problems in the Thai capital - despite the kingdom's growing confidence through surging economic growth and its increasing role on the regional stage. Thailand hosted the Asian Games in 1998 but its latest attempt for a major sporting coup - a government-backed bid to invest in English Premiership football club Liverpool, has failed to bear fruit. But yesterday, all of Thailand cheered when Manus became the country's only male athlete to win a gold at the Athens Games. The moment he became Olympic champion was almost too much for him. After his victory, Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej Boonjumnong called to congratulate him. Manus listened for a few minutes, so emotional that he was able to only give one-word answers to his king. 'I fought for my king, who urged me to be strong in my final bout,' said the boxer, who beat Cuban Yudel Johnson 17-11 in a light-welterweight bout. 'I dedicate the gold medal to my family and to all the people of Thailand. And, of course, to the king.' He made sure the powerful Cuban team would not tie their record of seven golds in Barcelona by beating Johnson in a tactical bout that had the Cuban team and its fans upset. The Cubans booed when Manus took the podium to accept his gold medal, still upset over the scoring of the bout. Manus, who had urged fans back home to watch him fight on television at his family's home to encourage the spirits of the house to help him win, built up a lead in the early rounds and protected it in the fourth round. The victory continued a streak of three straight Olympics where Thais have won gold. -- AFP, AP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayRay Posted August 31, 2004 Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 Three gold medals and eight total medals and Thailand all of a sudden thinks it's ready to host the Olympics? They have as much chance of getting the games as George Bush has of getting an endorsement from Ted Kennedy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelgianBoy Posted August 31, 2004 Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 RR, Its not about the amount of medals needed to want to organise the games. Its about wanting to organise the games in order to also promote the sport....... Athens just informed the IOC that the total cost estimate was sofar 10 billion Euro or 12 billion $, where will Thailand find that kind of money ? Holland and Belgium are also thinking of bidding for 2016 to co-host the games, I hope they DONT win a bid. BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted August 31, 2004 Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 where will Thailand find that kind of money ? ---------------------------------- From what I read, coming from a few greek voices: where will Greece find that kind of money? Probably co-hosting the Games would be a sounder idea, maybe with Malaysia, or even have Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos have one or 2 venues each, in a way that would bring pride and recognition to the whole peninsula and put it deservedly on the map of what has been deemed the pacific century. Not sure if the Olympic Charter allows that, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamui Posted August 31, 2004 Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 Vietnam, Cambodia etc. are less developed than Thailand and have in no sense the infrastructure the Olympic games need. Thailand doesn't have it either. Without a subway and a skytrain net, connencting the Olympic venues the games are absolutely impossible to hold in and around BKK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keekwai Posted August 31, 2004 Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 Thailand made a bid for the Olympics before, it might have been for this one that just ended. It would be interesting to see a real list of the reasons they were not accepted. I wonder how much climate weighs in the decision along with air pollution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatbastard33 Posted September 1, 2004 Report Share Posted September 1, 2004 I can' t see Bangkok getting it in 2016. 2008 is Beijing, 2012 is either Paris, London or Madrid (with Paris being the favourite) so I cannot see it going back to Asia in 2016. I think the IOC will try to get it to South America or Africa, with my money on South Africa. Cheers Fatbastard33 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lazyphil Posted September 1, 2004 Report Share Posted September 1, 2004 <<Malaysia, or even have Vietnam, Cambodia>> Cambodia??...ok, why not Sierra Leone, Sudan?....as for LOS it couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelgianBoy Posted September 1, 2004 Report Share Posted September 1, 2004 fatbastard33 said:I think the IOC will try to get it to South America or Africa, with my money on South Africa. FB, Dont think South Africa will get it, they will host the football world cup in 2010, they will still pay bills for the next 15-20 years..... BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayjann Posted September 1, 2004 Report Share Posted September 1, 2004 i hear Cambridge Council have put in a bid. prepare for a rise in your Council Tax to pay for it...... but you'll make a mint by renting out the spare room...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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