Olympic Sailors Development Project

Sailing form Thailand to the Oympics

Yacht racing is a unique sport. The course relies on waves, wind, water, landscape and climate, which are different in each location. Even in the same location, conditions vary on different days. The sport requires both physical strength and mental intelligence. Athletes have to face unpredictable and uncontrollable weather.

Without the wind, athletes can't sail. Likewise, without support, the development of the sport is not possible, especially about the need for financial support to maintain the competitiveness of the national squad.

For the general public, yacht racing is not a popular sport due to many reasons, such as the long competitive period, the difficulty of following an event taking place at sea, and the rarity of a close contest in which a victor is decided by a hair's breadth. But still, PTTEP realizes the importance of the sport because His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great once competed for Thailand in the 4^th Laem Thong Games in 1967. The company has supported the sailing community for many years, beginning in 2006 with the restoration of three "Mod" (means ant), the "Vachirapetra", the "Catfish" and the "Salatan" royal sailboats as well as 44 "Super Mod" sailboats and also funded the building of 37 new "Super Mod".

PTTEP has also given financial support to the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand (YRAT) since 2006 to develop the potential of Thai sailors and to send them to join international races. Thai athletes have performed well in world-class competition: in 2015 Thai sailors won gold, silver and bronze medals in both men's and women's contests at the 17^th Asian Games in South Korea; in the 2016 Rio Olympics, two Thai sailors qualified for the finals, compared to only one sailor in the 2012 London Olympics. It was the first time Thailand had athletes in both men's and women's races.

PTTEP has continually supported sailing athletes. In 2016 for the first time two Thai sailors qualified for the Olympics: Keerati Bualong (left) and Kamolown Chanyim.

In 2018, PTTEP signed a Memorandum of Understanding with YRAT for collaboration from 2018 – 2020 to enhance performance of Thai sailors aiming at the Olympic Games and International tournaments. Another goal is to attract a new generation by organizing training courses for at least 100 youths a year. Later in 2023, PTTEP has signed 3^rd Memorandum of Understanding with YRAT for another 3-year collaboration from 2024 – 2026.

To date, the project's development programs have involved at least 1,500 sailors. In 2023, with PTTEP’s supports, Thai sailors joined international tournaments and they brought home 10 medals including the medals from major competitions such as ILCA Youth World Sailing Championship in Greece, the Optimist Asian & Ocean Championship in the United Arab Emirates, and the 19^th Asian Games in People’s Republic of China.

The path that began from the first day Thai sailors dragged their dinghies into the water, hoisted the sails braved the sun, the wind, the rain, the waves - all the way to the Olympics.