Chai Yo, Thailand!
This is the cheer that often follows a Thai victory, and this November it will travel with the Thai team to Rio de Janeiro. SSL Team Thailand, known as Chang Thai, will make its first appearance in the SSL Gold Cup, entering the competition in the Round of 16 in Rio from November 26–29. The team will face Japan, as well as two teams that will qualify from the Round of 32.
Chang Thai earned its place in the Gold Cup through the SSL Ranking System, where its sailors’ results and experience have established Thailand as one of the teams competing for the title.
Racing for Thailand
The team arrives in Rio after an impressive performance at the 2025 SEA Games at Ocean Marina in Pattaya, where it raced on home waters in front of a passionate Thai crowd.
With Her Majesty Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana on board, the team won every race of the competition. It was a memorable week for the sailors, who were competing under the Thai flag and representing their country in front of a home crowd.
The Gold Cup will present a very different challenge. In Rio, Chang Thai will race against teams from around the world, with the pressure of a knockout format and no room for a slow start. The team will need to adapt quickly to the boats, the conditions and the demands of racing against some of the world’s strongest sailing nations.
Nai at the helm
Leading Chang Thai will be Noppakao Poonpat, known as Nai. In Thai, Nai means “Boss”, a nickname that has followed her throughout her sailing career. Nai will have a special place in the Gold Cup fleet. She will be the only woman serving as a skipper during the competition, making her presence in Rio particularly significant.
She is also one of the four female skippers in the SSL Gold Cup field, alongside Emma Plasschaert of Belgium, Deizy Justino Nhaquile of Mozambique and Lijia Xu of China – female captains in Star Sailors League.
For Nai, however, the focus will be firmly on racing. Her task will be to bring together a crew whose members have competed across a wide range of Olympic and high-performance sailing classes and turn their individual experience into a coordinated team on the SSL boats.
Olympic experience and TP52 racing
Chang Thai brings a broad range of experience to the Gold Cup. The crew includes 470 sailors Navee Thamsoontorn and Nichapa Waiwai, 49er sailors Dylan and Don Whitcraft, and ILCA sailor Chusit Punjamala.
The sailors also have experience racing on the TP52 circuit, where they compete on powerful yachts that demand precise manoeuvres, clear communication and close cooperation between every member of the crew.
That experience will be valuable in the Gold Cup. The racing is expected to be close, and small mistakes can have a significant impact when several boats are fighting for the same piece of water. Having a crew accustomed to making decisions quickly and working together under pressure could prove important as Chang Thai moves through the competition.
More than a name
The name Chang Thai reflects the team’s connection with Thailand and the identity they carry with them wherever they race. The same is true of the words “Chai Yo!”, a traditional Thai cheer used to encourage athletes and celebrate their victories.
Nai knows the sound well. When she won the Optimist World Championship, Thai supporters celebrated with the same cry.
Now she will hear it again as she and her teammates take on the SSL Gold Cup in Rio.
For Chang Thai, the journey to the Gold Cup brings together years of racing experience, a strong connection to their home country and the opportunity to compete on one of sailing’s biggest stages.
From Pattaya to Rio de Janeiro, the Thai team will carry its colours, its experience and its fighting spirit onto the start line.
Chai Yo, Thailand!