PHUKET: The title of the government department is ''Tourism and Sport'' but very little time or money was spent developing sport on Phuket, a meeting heard this week.
With the Asian Beach Games being planned for November 2014, Phuket still has a debt of more than 20 million baht from staging the 28th National Youth Games in June last year.
While private businesses had given Phuket a reputation for top international sport, there had been no real investment by the national government, a meeting heard.
Phuket sport's basic problem was a lack of government funding, the gathering was told.
As a result, Phuket residents did not have the sporting facilities and the opportunity to participate as athletes or as an audience.
''Governors come and go and do not show enough interest,'' the meeting heard.
Tana Chaiprasit, a representative of the Thailand Olympic Committee from Bangkok, also questioned why the Phuket media did not promote sport more thoroughly on the island.
Khun Tana met this week with Poonyawee Tongsiriset, chief of Public Relations at Phuket Provincial Hall, Yirat Patee, Director of Phuket Sport, and Sopon Keawkorn, specialist from Phuket Provincial PR.
With the Asian Beach Games being planned for November 2014, Phuket still has a debt of more than 20 million baht from staging the 28th National Youth Games in June last year.
While private businesses had given Phuket a reputation for top international sport, there had been no real investment by the national government, a meeting heard.
Phuket sport's basic problem was a lack of government funding, the gathering was told.
As a result, Phuket residents did not have the sporting facilities and the opportunity to participate as athletes or as an audience.
''Governors come and go and do not show enough interest,'' the meeting heard.
Tana Chaiprasit, a representative of the Thailand Olympic Committee from Bangkok, also questioned why the Phuket media did not promote sport more thoroughly on the island.
Khun Tana met this week with Poonyawee Tongsiriset, chief of Public Relations at Phuket Provincial Hall, Yirat Patee, Director of Phuket Sport, and Sopon Keawkorn, specialist from Phuket Provincial PR.
