PATTAYA, Thailand – Pattaya City officials have insisted that the 2026 Pattaya Marathon has not been canceled, clarifying that the event was postponed due to procurement procedures after the sole bidder failed to submit a required technical presentation. Kiatisak Sriwongchai, Pattaya’s Permanent Secretary and acting mayor, addressed the issue following a meeting with city department heads, explaining that the marathon’s postponement was not the result of a decision by city administrators but stemmed from legal requirements governing public procurement.
According to Kiatisak, the project was conducted through a competitive bidding process to select an event organizer. While only one company submitted a proposal and passed the initial qualification review, the bidder failed to appear before the evaluation committee on May 21 to present its technical plan and event management details. As a result, officials were unable to proceed with the procurement process and were legally required to cancel the tender.
Pattaya City later presented the facts to the House Committee on Tourism, emphasizing that the delay was caused by procurement regulations rather than any decision by city leadership. Discussions also focused on finding the most suitable timeframe for a replacement event.
While moving the marathon to December was considered, tourism officials recommended September as a more suitable period, allowing the city to retain one of its flagship sporting events without conflicting with the peak tourism season. Following those discussions, Pattaya City revised parts of the project’s Terms of Reference (TOR). One key change removed the requirement that organizers must begin promotional activities at least 30 days before the race, a condition officials believed may have discouraged potential bidders. The city hopes the revised TOR will attract greater competition, with two to three companies already expressing interest in participating in the new bidding round.
The project is currently undergoing a public consultation period on the revised TOR from June 15-17 before the official invitation to bid is issued on June 18. Under the proposed timeline, bids will be submitted on July 3, with the winning bidder expected to be announced on July 16. If no appeals are filed, Pattaya City expects to sign a contract by August 6, providing sufficient time to prepare for the event, tentatively scheduled for September 26-27. However, Kiatisak acknowledged that any appeal against the bidding results could delay the process by up to 60 days, potentially forcing the race to be postponed again.
He stressed that the 2026 TOR remains largely consistent with previous years, with only minor adjustments designed to improve event quality rather than reduce its scale or importance.
Kiatisak also rejected suggestions that the initial cancellation was intended to delay the project until after local political changes or the arrival of a new administration, saying the city had simply followed legal procedures and procurement regulations. Pattaya City is now moving ahead with the second bidding process and is encouraging qualified event organizers to participate, with the goal of restoring confidence among runners, sponsors, and tourism stakeholders while ensuring the Pattaya Marathon remains one of Thailand’s premier road racing events.
