The Gymnastics Association of Thailand (GAT) is preparing to take legal action against gymnast Ittirit Kumsiriratn, who accused the association of unfair treatment following his controversial exclusion from the national team for the upcoming 33rd SEA Games, scheduled to be held in the Kingdom next month.
Earlier, Ittirit filed a complaint with the Sports Authority of Thailand, alleging a lack of fairness in GAT’s selection process for the SEA Games squad.
He claimed his name was removed from the list despite having won last year’s national championship in the men’s all-around individual category.
The 21-year-old gymnast also questioned how a certain athlete managed to make the cut despite not participating in the selection trials.
This prompted GAT Vice President Dr Kusumarn Prasertsri to publicly clarify the matter, stressing the transparency of the selection process, which she said was conducted in strict adherence to the regulations.
“The association has clear selection criteria, and we already informed athletes that the national championships are only one of our criteria,” she said, adding “Ittirit may have won the all-around individual event, but that result was from last year.”
“Moreover, there is no all-around individual competition at this year’s SEA Games, so the association’s technical team selected only those who performed best in each apparatus.”
Kusumarn also revealed that the GAT is considering filing a lawsuit against Ittirit for damaging the association’s reputation.
“Some of the information Ittirit shared earlier was inaccurate. We have documented it. If there are further issues, we will initiate legal proceedings—but only after the SEA Games, as we want all athletes and staff to stay focused on the upcoming competition.”
Addressing the controversy over the inclusion of Fuka Nomura—despite the Thai-Japanese gymnast not participating in the trials—GAT President Lt Cdr Srayuth Patanasak defended the decision.
“Fuka was already on our list from the start. The association reached a mutual agreement with his family to allow him to study and train in Japan.
“He has delivered consistent performances in the past and is one of our strongest prospects for Olympic qualification. Additionally, since there is no all-around competition at the SEA Games, we needed to select only the athletes who excelled in specific apparatus events.”
The 33rd SEA Games, marking the seventh time Thailand will host the regional biennial sports extravaganza, are set to take place from December 9–20 in Bangkok, Chon Buri, and Songkhla.
