| Thailand at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | THA |
| NOC | National Olympic Committee of Thailand |
| Website | www |
| in Rio de Janeiro | |
| Competitors | 54 in 15 sports |
| Flag bearers | Ratchanok Intanon (opening)[1] Boonthung Srisung (closing) |
| Medals Ranked 35th |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Thailand competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. Since the nation's official debut in 1952, Thai athletes had appeared in every edition of the Summer Olympic Games, with the exception of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, because of its support of the US-led boycott.
The National Olympic Committee of Thailand fielded a team of 54 athletes, 26 men and 28 women, to compete in fifteen sports at the Games. It was the nation's joint-largest ever delegation sent to the Olympics, alongside the team sent to the Tokyo Games in 1964.[2][3] Thailand made its Olympic debut in women's boxing, BMX cycling, golf, and men's table tennis. Moreover, it registered more female athletes than males for only the second time in history.
Fourteen athletes on the Thai roster competed at London 2012, including badminton star Boonsak Ponsana (men's singles) and table tennis player Nanthana Komwong, both of whom made their historic fifth Olympic appearance as the most experienced competitors on the team.[2] Apart from the veterans, four more Thai athletes made their third Olympic appearance, namely welterweight boxer Sailom Adi, freestyle swimmer Natthanan Junkrajang, pistol shooter Tanyaporn Prucksakorn, and world's top-ranked skeet shooter Sutiya Jiewchaloemmit. Other notable Thai athletes included professional golfer Ariya Jutanugarn, who became the first Thai golfer capture the major championship title, and world's top four badminton player Ratchanok Intanon (women's singles), who was named as the country's first female flag bearer for the opening ceremony.[1]
Thailand left Rio de Janeiro with a total of six medals (two for each color), its most successful Olympics since 2004. Four of these medals were awarded to the team in weightlifting, including two golds won by Sopita Tanasan (women's 48 kg) and Sukanya Srisurat (women's 58 kg), and two others in taekwondo.[4] For the first time in four decades, Thailand failed to pick up a single medal in boxing, as neither of its fighters progressed beyond the quarterfinal round.[5]
- ^ a b Kittayarak, Kittipong. "Ratchanok to carry both Thai flag and hopes". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
- ^ a b "Thai eyes on Mighty Eight". Thailand: The Nation. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
- ^ "Women spearhead Thai medal assault". Bangkok Post. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
- ^ "Sukanya Srisurat and Pimsiri Sirikaew go 1-2 for Thailand". ESPN. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
- ^ "Thais look ahead to 2020 Tokyo Games". The Phuket News. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.