Thailand working hard on YOG Luge Debut

Pyeongchang (FIL/11 Dec 2024) It's official: Thailand is planning to make its luge debut at Asia's first Youth Olympic Winter Games (YOG), Gangwon 2024. From January 19 to February 1, 2024, 1,900 winter athletes from 70 countries will compete in 7 sports and 15 disciplines.

Thailand hopes to make its luge debut at the first Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Asia, Gangwon 2024.

Sunita Chaiyapantho (16) and Thiraphat Sata (17) want to lead the team, after the two attended the first FIL Luge School supported by IOC Olympic Solidarity in 2022 at the artificial ice track in Sigulda, Latvia. More athletes from Thailand attended the second FIL Luge School in October 2023 in Lillehammer, Norway.

"Luge has already given me so many life-changing experiences," said Chaiyapantho. "Now all I can think about is becoming Thailand's first female luge athlete at the Youth Olympic Games - I'm doing everything I can to prepare for it."

Ever since the two young athletes competed in their first Youth Continental Cup in Pyeongchang in February to represent Thailand and make luge history, Sata has been counting down to Gangwon 2024 every day. "Luge is a very demanding sport. You need both speed and concentration - the perfect combination that makes training so rewarding," said the 17-year-old Sata. "I can't wait to be back on the ice at the Pyeongchang Olympic Luge Center at Gangwon 2024 - it's breathtaking."

Thailand's Winter Sports Legacy

Thailand's entry into luge marks a major step forward in winter sports since the last Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne in 2020, when the National Olympic Committee of Thailand (NOCT) and the Ski and Snowboard Association of Thailand (SSAT) sent a total of five athletes to compete in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and short-track speed skating.

Chaiyapantho is now experiencing this legacy firsthand - after starting out on roller skis, she successfully transitioned to the wheeled sled at a special training camp in Bangkok in April 2022. "It's amazing that all Thai winter athletes started their training at home on wheels," Chaiyapantho said.

"We have a wide range of training venues - there was the first introduction to luge at the Rajamangala National Stadium, at an ice skating complex in the city, and on open roads.

"We also get to experience the all-important adrenaline rush of luge on a big hill in the seaside resort of Rayong, just a short drive from Bangkok."

After kicking off her ice season in Sigulda (LAT) in mid-October 2023, Chaiyapantho now has her sights set on the YOG qualifying events. She and her male counterpart, Sata, will compete in the YOG qualifying events at the PyeongChang Asian Championships and the Continental Youth Cup in South Korea.

In the meantime, Sata is focusing on mastering the complex skills of sled positioning, track driving and start technique. "It is important to keep the momentum going until Gangwon 2024," Sata explained. "The fact that one small mistake could 'destroy' the whole run keeps me focused."

Gangwon 2024 - The countdown to Thailand is on!

"It's a great feeling to be part of the Thai dream to compete in luge at Gangwon 2024 - and it's even more great to see that dream come true so soon," said Chaiyapantho.

"See you at Gangwon 2024!"