Home Academy News Academy Mourns Loss of Nat Indrapana, a Key Figure in Thai Sports

Academy Mourns Loss of Nat Indrapana, a Key Figure in Thai Sports

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Academy Mourns Loss of Nat Indrapana, a Key Figure in Thai Sports
Nat Indrapana, left, is pictured in Tokyo in 2013. Photo: AFP

United States Sports Academy |

The United States Sports Academy is mourning the loss of Nat Indrapana, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and a key figure in the development of sport in Thailand and Asia.

Indrapana, who passed recently at age 80, served the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) as its vice-governor (1989-1996) and as a member of the SAT Board (2002-2006). For the past 12 years, the Academy and the SAT have partnered for a Memorandum of Understanding to extend cooperation in sports education and training in that country. Today the Academy conducts its International Certification in Sports Coaching and International Certification in Sports Management programs there.

Indrapana was deputy secretary general of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand; chairman of the Sports Development and Improvement Committee at the Southeast Asian Federation; president of the Asian Trap and Skeet Shooting Federation; a council member of the Asian Games Federation and of the Olympic Council of Asia; and a member of the University Sports Board of Thailand.

Indrapana entered the IOC in 1990 and had recently been a member of the Culture and Olympic Heritage Commission since 2015 after serving on many other commissions, namely Eligibility (1992-1998), Radio and Television (1993-1996, then 2002-2004), Culture and Olympic Education (1999-2015) and the Olympic Program (2005-2013).

He closely followed the organization of several Olympic Games by sitting on the Coordination Commissions for Sydney 2000, Beijing 2008, Rio 2016 and the 1st Youth Olympic Games Singapore 2010, in addition to taking part in the Evaluation Commission for the 2020 Games in 2013.

Holding a Diploma in Physical Education from Sydney Teachers’ College, Australia; Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Physical Education from California State University; and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Physical Education from the University of Alberta, Canada, Indrapana was also awarded Honorary Doctorates of Philosophy by three universities in Thailand: Srinakharinwirot (Physical Education), Chulalongkorn (Sports Science) and Burapha (Sports Science).

At Srinakharinwirot University, he was dean of the faculty of physical education (1975-1977), vice-president (1977-1987) and a member of the Council since 2007. Indrapana was a member of the Councils of two other universities in his country: Mahidol (1990-1994) and Thammasat (1995-1997).

The United States Sports Academy is an independent, non-profit, accredited, special mission sports university created to serve the nation and world with programs in instruction, research and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports.

The Academy is based in Daphne, Ala.  For more information, call (251) 626-3303 or visit www.ussa.edu.

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