IOC President begins visit to Thailand - meets NOC President and athletes

At his meeting with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) President, General Prawit Wongsuwon assured President Bach of the NOC’s strong commitment to working with the IOC and WADA to ensure sport was fair and free from doping.  The pair discussed sport in the country, and the NOC President informed the IOC President of the NOC's strong desire to be a candidate for the Youth Olympic Games 2026, the first NOC to express an interest. President Bach welcomed the news, and said that the NOC could begin discussions immediately after the allocation of the YOG 2022, later this year.  President Bach said the candidature "would send a strong signal to the worldwide sporting movement that Thailand wants to play a strong role in global sport".

Later, President Bach went to a key sports facility in Bangkok, the Sport Authority of Thailand (SAT). There he met a number of leading Thai athletes and teams and shared experiences with them as they train for upcoming events.

Throughout the visit he was accompanied by IOC member in Thailand Mrs Patama Leeswadtrakul. He was also joined by IOC member Dr Nat Indrapana.