Thailand to apply to host MotoGP

BANGKOK, April 6 (TNA) -- The Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) is seeking a private agency to represent the country in hosting the upcoming MotoGP. Permanent Secretary for Tourism and Sports Pongpanu Svetarundra said of the progress where Thailand is nominating itself to host the MotoGP from 2018-2021 that SAT is now in the process of selecting a candidate from the 10 private agencies which have applied for the job and the result of the selection would be revealed on April 10. He added that Thailand has a high chance of being chosen to host the event because the Chang International Circuit by Buri Ram United is one of the qualified circuits in the world and had been used to host the World Superbike Championship twice in a row, whereas the main grandstand there has been designed to overlook the whole circuit, and is the only grandstand in the world where spectators could see the entire race. Only two MotoGP races in 2018 are currently searching for a location to host the event, where Thailand must now compete with countries such as Hungary, Indonesia, Kazakhstan for the spot. If Thailand is selected, around 27.11 billion baht worth of income is expected to be generated by the event, with more than 100,000 participants, officials, and spectators predicted to arrive in the country, where they would spend around 5,000 baht per head on average at the event, accounting for around seven times more than the investment that calculated to be used to host the event. The event would also help to increase the country's economic values, focusing on attracting quality tourists, while promoting Thailand as a world-class sports hub. (TNA)