D – 5 in Bangkok before the 16th edition of SportAccord. The annual event, organized for the first time in the Thai capital, kicks off on Sunday April 15, 2018 at the Centara Grand & Convention Centre, one of the city's largest complexes, a hotel, conference center and shopping area. . It will close its doors on Friday April 20. In the meantime, SportAccord will have rolled out a more extensive program than ever, with the usual series of conferences, reinforced by three thematic seminars, dedicated to sports legislation (LawAccord), the media (MediaAccord), and health through sport (HealthAccord).
For Thailand, the stakes are high. The country wants to take advantage of the presence in Bangkok of the ban and the backbenches of the international sports movement, Thomas Bach at the head, to present itself as a hub of sport and its economy in Southeast Asia, even throughout the Asian continent. Sakon Wannapong, the president of the national agency Sports Authority of Thailand, in charge of the organization, explained this to the English-speaking daily The Nation: " The government invested 200 million baht in the demonstration (5,2 million euros). Some might consider this amount too large. But it is perfectly justified by the impact that our country can gain from SportAccord 2018, particularly for the organization of major events in the future, for the sports industry in Thailand, and for the relationships that our agencies and institutions maintain contact with international federations. »
The 2018 edition will coincide with the period of Songkran, the Buddhist New Year celebration, one of the most festive times of the year in Thailand.
