BOXING
Thailand's amateur boxing team faces an uphill battle to meet its target of winning seven gold medals at this year's SEA Games.
Chatchai Butdee
There will be 14 gold medals up for grabs (eight in the men's tournament and six in the women's event) in boxing at the biennial competition to be held in Myanmar in December.
The Thailand Boxing Association initially targeted winning at least seven gold medals to match their result at the previous SEA Games in Indonesia in 2011, when the Thai boxers took home seven gold, one silver and one bronze medals.
But the TBA is worried that Myanmar are trying to do everything to claim as many gold medals as possible and this could affect Thailand's campaign, according to a TBA official.
While Thailand and other participating countries can send a maximum 10 boxers (six men and four women), the hosts are allowed to have fighters in all 14 weight classes.
"It will be tough for us," the official said.
Myanmar boxers have been training in Kazakhstan and the supervisor of the boxing tournament at the SEA Games will be Kazakhstan's Aziz Kozhambetov who is executive director of the Asian Boxing Confederation.
The boxing tournament will begin on Dec 7 - four days before the SEA Games officially begin.
The finals will be on Dec 15 - seven days before the Games end on Dec 22.
Traditionally, the boxing finals take place on the last day of the SEA Games.
Pariyakorn Ratanasuban with WBO president Francisco Varcarcel in Hungary where the Thai was named the organisation's promoter of the year this week.
The International Boxing Association's new rules will be used at the Myanmar tournament. Among them are no headguards and a 10-point scoring system per round over three rounds.
Sailom Ardee.
Thailand's six male boxers for the SEA Games are Chatchai Butdee (52kg), Donchai Thati (56), Sailom Ardee (60), Wutthichai Masuk (64), Apichet Saensit (69) and Anawat Thongkrathok (81).
The women are Sopida Satumram (51), Piamwilai Laopium (54), Tassamalee Thongjan (57) and Sudaporn Srisondee (60).
In the build-up to the tournament, the Thai men will take part at the 2013 World Championships in Kazakhstan from Oct 11-27.
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