Thailand’s Supachalasai National Stadium in Bangkok must live on
Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong’s new plan to turn the Supachalasai National Stadium into a concert and sports venue has sparked hope that the ageing structure — which will mark its 84th anniversary next year — will be properly preserved.
The minister unveiled the plan earlier this week as the rent contract between the Property Management of Chulalongkorn University (PMCU) and the Department of Physical Education — the tenant — expired.
Over the years, the PMCU made it clear that it was not happy with the way the latter had run the stadium, saying the site was underused.
At the same time, the university reclaimed some of the buildings from the department, including the Chantanayingyong building, the Gymnasium 3 area and the Chindarak field.
According to the minister, the discussion process has begun, and he is pushing to ensure that Thailand has a proper venue to support concerts and major games. He is open to the role of the private sector as the place is in a state of disrepair and needs funding for renovation work, the plan says.
Mr Sorawong may have been inspired by the success of the Blackpink World Tour concert in 2023. And over 30 years ago, the stadium was the venue for Michael Jackson’s Dangerous World Tour Concert. Yet, the PMCU has kept mum on the plan.
In fact, the university has never said anything clear about the stadium, often only referring to a development master plan (during 2018-2037) for its property, which limits commercial use at 30%, followed by educational purposes, at 52%; the rest is for use by state agencies.
At times, the university has come under criticism for some of its controversial projects. While insisting that the university attaches importance to conservation and the greater social good, it eventually went ahead with the demolition of the iconic Scala movie theatre so admired by the nation.
It’s true that the stadium has been poorly maintained over the past decades. But the department cannot entirely be blamed for this. In an article published by Matichon Weekly last year, Chatri Prakitnonthakan of Silpakorn University rightly pointed out that the stadium style experienced a “development vacuum” when the rent was being renewed on a year-by-year basis. Under such circumstances, it’s difficult for the tenant, the Department of Physical Education, to make long-term development plans for the sports venue. Not to mention the budget constraints in running the place.
The need to keep Supachalasai as a national stadium is without question, given its history. Its prime location and accessibility are a plus. With the BTS skytrain’s terminal station right in front, in addition to several city buses, Supachalasai stadium is in an ideal location, unlike Rachamangala National Stadium in Bang Kapi, which sports or concert fans have to struggle to get to given the limited accessibility and poor public transportation options.
Instead, Mr Sorawong should convince the university not just about the need for Bangkok to keep the Supacharasai stadium but restore it to its former glory. He should rethink handing the area over to the private sector and brainstorm to come up with better ideas in the framework of “adaptive reuse” and benefits to the sports community.
The government, particularly the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, has an obligation to ensure that the legacy of Supachalasai as the country’s first stadium lives on.
Source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/2907142/stadium-must-live-on
