'King Kong' of Thailand volleyball faces reduction in SEA Games 33 gold medal bonus

The 2.02m tall Thai volleyball middle blocker openly expressed dissatisfaction with the prize money issue at the 2025 SEA Games.

Kissada Nilsawai - the player who just helped Thailand's men's volleyball team win the SEA Games 33 gold medal has voiced his displeasure regarding the prize money at this year's Games held on home soil.

"Please, can I get back the 500,000 baht (around nearly 420 million VND) for the SEA Games gold medal? When they announced 500,000 baht, I was very happy. But now I don’t understand why it was cut down to 300,000 baht. I’m planning to renovate my bathroom; there are too many cockroaches there.", Kissada shared.

The 33-year-old hitter also called for more stable income and bonuses for players, so they can fully dedicate themselves to national volleyball.

"If you interview professional volleyball players, their salaries are very low. They play volleyball for 3 months, then work at convenience stores for 7 months, and then return to compete. The situation is that bad.", Kissada revealed."In the past, playing volleyball earned 18,000 baht. We could eat rice or noodle soup for 35 baht per day. Now it’s 70 baht. This is no longer sustainable."

This will be the last SEA Games in the career of Thailand’s 'King Kong' volleyball player. The 2.02m middle blocker has represented the national team since 2011, winning 5 golds and 1 bronze, and has been a key figure in Thai volleyball for over a decade.

The decision to retire from the national team was made by "Yamine" earlier this year, and from now on he will focus solely on his club career. The 1992-born hitter said the decision could change but it is very unlikely.