Bantamweight boxer Worapoj Petchkhoom, who brought home a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, is the middle of a controversy in Thailand after appearing on the cover of the July edition of Stage, a gay lifestyle magazine.
Worapoj Petchkhoom is one of Thailand's most popular and best known sportsmen after winning a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Above: Worapoj (in red) at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Quoting the Thai-language Khaosod newspaper, Muaythai Magazine reported that the 28-year-old 2012 London Olympics hopeful has been banned from amateur boxing for three months by the Amateur Boxing Association of Thailand (ABAT) as a punishment for modeling for a gay magazine.
The report quoted ABAT president General Taweep Jantararoj as saying at an Aug 26 press conference that that the ban will bar Worapoj from representing Thailand in the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Laos at the end of this year.
Since the matter was reported locally, Worapoj has said that he regards the images to be “sporty” rather than obscene; and is not gay.
Taweep agreed that although the images which show the boxer clad in his underwear are not considered obscene, he has tarnished the reputation of the national athletes.
According to online reports, Worapoj said that he was paid B15,000 (US$440) and did not know that the magazine was aimed at the gay market.
Reader's Comments
Nice looking guy !!
i think thailand is 100yrs behind the times not civilised yet possibly because of military style government how sad!
is certainly not good attitude to promote tourism to come to their country!
The Ministries have to have SOMETHING to poke their nose into. How else could they justify their existence?
By banning a celebrated medalled Olympian, they are doing more damage than good. Penny wise pound foolish.
I agree with #3 Jakarta; I sincerely doubt any ruckus would have had even arisen had he appeared in a "normal" straight magazine; eg, InStyle, Men's Health, Vogue...etc. The fact that these underpaid bureaucrats felt he tarnished the image of athletes shows they discriminate against gays. Maybe they resent him for reminding them that, he can cos he's hot and they can't cs they're not. :P
Worapoj should migrate to Singapore where he would have had been paid half a million sing dollars for a silver medal under the Excellence in Sports Scheme, not to mention many more to come mutually. You see, everything in Singabore is buying and selling. One "supreme foreign talent" in exchange for 50 commoner Singaporeans. Deal or no deal? :)
Someday Thailand will learn that suppression of freedom only makes people more frustrated.
I hope he fights this ruling and wins!
While a nation's populous may be liberal per se, it is not always reflected by the governance of low level public and private institutions.
Take the American education institutions.
Remember the Fratmen.tv incident with the two college wrestlers? Both were expelled.
How about that teacher who posed in Playgirl to the point that the parents raised hell? Re: Julian Fantechi
Even a nation like Japan isn't spared. Look at it's sports institution.
And remember Kazuhito Tadano, the Japanese baseball player?
If he was never informed that his picture would be placed in a gay magazine, then he should definitely sue. However, I hope he just takes it in stride because, considering the picture, he's not being obscene at all.
In that sense, I think the ABAT President should reconsider his decision.
Homophobia should have no place in sport and bigots must be shown for what they are.
They are like ass-pimps who are homophobic but know that gay prostitutes bring them good money. In my opnion, their hypocracy brings shame to their country, not their modelesque athletes.
It is all the more sad that the Nation has fallen so far lagging behind times since the Nation was led in history by its enlightened monarch His Majesty King Mongkut and His Majesty King Chulalongkong as leaders amongst Asian countries then as far as cilvilisation was concerned.
What a waste..
I've always thought Thailand wasn't that strict on issues such as homosexuality but i guess i'm wrong.
Fancy throwing away a potential Olympics silver medal just because someone posed and took a few non-sexual shots, i lol-ed.
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