Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, president of the Badminton Association of Thailand

Ratchanok, the current world No 5, who won the inaugural edition back in 2016, is among mega stars committed to competing in the home tournament at Hua Mark Indoor Stadium from January 21-26.

The 24-year-old former world champion, who has two 500 level titles this year in Malaysia and India, will be joined by former world No 1 Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, world No 9 An Se-young of South Korea, former world No 1 Saina Nehwal of India, Indonesian rising star Gregoria Mariska Tunjung and defending champion Fitriani Fitriani of Indonesia.

“As the cut off for the Olympics is due on April 26 next year, players are trying to book their spots for the Games. That’s why we have a strong field for the 2020 tournament,” said Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, president of the Badminton Association of Thailand.

Apart from Ratchanok, 2017 champion Busanan Ongbumrungpan and 2018 winner Nitchaon Jindapol as well as 2018 finalist Pornpawee Chochuwong will pose local challenges for the women’s singles trophy of Princess Sirivannavari.

On the men’s side, Thailand will be represented by World Championships bronze medalist and world No 13 Kantaphon Wangcharoen, world No 25 Sitthikom Thamasin and three-time world junior champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn.

Olympic champions Lin Dan and Chen Long of China are among international stars, other than world No 9 Ng Ka Long Angus of Hong Kong, No 10 Kanta Tsuneyama of Japan, the 2018 Thailand Open winner and No 14 Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia.

The world No 4 mixed doubles pair of Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai will try to lift up their home title together after losing two finals — in 2017 and 2019. But they will face a stiff challenge from world No 3 Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino and No 9 Hafiz Faizal and Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja of Indonesia.

The 2016 women’s doubles gold medallists Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi and world No 1 Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan will also be in action in January.

The minister is confident of the event, scheduled for March 20-22 next year and the third in a series, generating more than Bt3.5 billion in revenue. Motorsport fans are invited to once again witness another monumental championship race.

Race 2 of MotoGP 2020 is making its way under the name ‘OR Thailand Grand Prix 2020’ with Thailand as the host at Chang International Circuit, Buriram province.

Today (December 18), Pipat presided over a press conference to announce Thailand’s readiness to host the motorsports championship race and tickets are now available.

The press conference was held at The Commemorating HM The King’s 7th Cycle Birthday Anniversary Building of the Sports Authority of Thailand. Representatives of sponsors from the private and public sector were in attendance including The Sports Authority of Thailand, Buriram Provincial Administrative Organisation, PTT Oil and Retail Business Pcl (OR), Buriram United International Circuit Co Ltd, Thai Beverage Pcl, AP Honda Co Ltd, Thai Yamaha Motor Co Ltd, Siam Commercial Bank Pcl, GrabTaxi (Thailand) Co Ltd, Plan B Media Pcl, and Counter Service Co Ltd.

Pipat said MotoGP 2019 was a massive success and it was lauded by both international and Thai motorsports fans. The event also retained its record of having the highest attendance for a second year with 226,655 visitors. Also, the number of foreign visitors increased 52.8 per cent. MotoGP 2019 was able to generate Bt3.457 billion in revenue. With Thailand hosting the event for the third year in 2020, the organisers are raising it to world class standards and will showcase Thai culture and traditions to audiences. The effort is in line with the concept of “Thailand to The World” as well as making Thailand a “Sport Tourism Destination”. He expected next year’s event to generate the same level of revenue as MotoGP 2019.

Dr Gongsak Yodmanee, Governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand, said according to a study by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, this MotoGP event will generate billions of baht in revenue for Thailand and create some 5,584 jobs. It will also help promote the image of Thailand through 483 journalists from 32 countries which will contribute billions of baht in public relations value. It is an invaluable investment from both the private sector and the government because in addition to promoting Thailand’s image to audiences worldwide, the motorsports event also generates income for Thais, particularly in Buriram and neighboring provinces. This will be extremely beneficial to the tourism and sports-related economy, especially motorsports as well as the automotive industry.

Damrongchai Neramittakapong, Deputy Governor of Buriram, said Buriram is ready on all cylinders despite the time constraints to organise the event compared to previous years. Buriram is in high spirit and fully confident of hosting an impressive event since we were able to learn from past mistakes and had hosted the event for the past two years. We have teams in place who are highly experienced and knowledgeable. Another important factor in successfully hosting a world class event that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors is the help from local volunteers who are ready to provide accommodations to visitors and tourists. Buriram recently hosted a motorsports event which is an advantage as teams involved can leverage the experience in planning next year’s race, providing better facilitate utilities, accommodations, security, and transportation. Buriram is more than ready as a welcoming host”.

Chumpol Surapittayanon, Senior Executive Vice President/Lubricant Business, PTT Oil and Retail Business Pcl (OR), said MotoGP is one of the world’s leading motorsports competition and the people of Thailand are very proud of this. Our company is the title sponsor for a third consecutive year and in 2020, the race is titled ‘OR Thailand Grand Prix 2020’. OR is fully committed to its sponsorship and has prepared a large variety of entertainment and privileges for motorsports fans around the world. After the massive success of the two previous MotoGP event in Thailand, ‘OR Thailand Grand Prix 2020’ will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression and experience for attendees, as well as help boost the economy, tourism, and the image of Thailand. The event will mark another historic chapter in making Thais proud and become a “Pride of Thailand”.

Tanaisiri Chanvitayarom, Managing Director of Chang International Circuit, said:” Thailand is playing host to Race 2 of MotoGP 2020, which has a total of 20 races. We are committed to raising the standards every year while proudly exhibiting Thai culture to the rest of the world through activities for fans around the world. The race itself guarantees excitement and exhilaration, like the previous two years. The Thai circuit is touted as one the best circuits in the world for entertainment value and high-octane excitement”.

Ticket sales was announced at the press conference. Motorsport fans can purchase tickets, starting today (December 18) at any 7-Eleven stores or at www.allticket.com. Tickets available comprise Grand Stand (Bt4,000), Marquez Stand (Bt4,000), Rossi Stand (Bt4,000), and Side Stand (Bt2,000). Fans can enjoy a 15 per cent early-bird discount for tickets purchased within December 25, 2019 (Grand Stand tickets not included the promotional discount).

PTT Blue Card holders will receive an on-top discount of 25 per cent while a 20 per cent on-top discount is offered by other sponsors such as holders of Chang International Friend Club card, keys of any Honda or Yamaha motorcycles, SCB credit cards or debit cards. Those interested can find more information at Chang International Circuit Facebook page and www.allticket.com.

Jazz has enjoyed a sensational season, kicking off the year with a win in Singapore followed by two more significant victories in South Korea and Indonesia last week.

The 24-year-old deservedly sealed the Order of Merit crown, as no one can catch up with him on the money list even with three events left to play at the start of this month.

“It’s an honour to hear such compliments from Thongchai. He has helped many Thai golfers to get to where they are now. He has single-handedly placed Thailand on the world golf map and that has been a great inspiration not only for me but for other Thai golfers, too. It’s reassuring for us as whenever we go out there to compete, because we know that someone like Thongchai has already done that and we can also do it,” said Jazz, who had triumphed on this course last year.

“It was an honour to win the flagship event on the Asian Tour [last week in Indonesia]. It has been a very good year and this will be my last event for 2019. Now that I’ve broken into the top-50 in the world, I want to break into the top-40. It’s going to get harder but I just want to set realistic goals for myself,” added the country’s No 1 player.

Just like how he started the year, the Thai is looking for one last hurrah at the Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club before he takes a well-deserved break.

Compatriot Gunn Charoenkul, who watched in awe as Jazz outclassed him in Jakarta last week, believes a switch in his outlook towards his game and life has led to a very consistent year for him in 2019 as he looks towards closing his season on a high note.

“I did not expect to have such a consistent season at the start of the year. Surprisingly, I played really well and just rode on the good form and consistencies. Playing against Jazz last week in Indonesia, I now know where I need to improve on and get to the same level as he is right now,” added Gunn, who finished second behind Jazz in the Indonesian Masters on Sunday.

Belgium’s Thomas Detry, who is one of the invited star players for this week, is also seeking a grandstand finish after missing out on his chance to win in two of his last three events.