Thai court overturns attempted rape conviction of Olympic boxing champion
BANGKOK: A Thai appeals court overturned on Tuesday a conviction for the attempted rape of a teenage girl handed to the country’s first Olympic gold medallist, but upheld his sentence for abduction.
A Thai appeals court overturned a conviction for attempted rape against Olympic gold medalist Somluck Kamsing on Tuesday, but maintained his sentence for abduction. The 53-year-old, a national hero after winning boxing gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, was initially sentenced to just over three years in prison in January 2025 for the crimes.
The appeals court in Khon Kaen dismissed the attempted rape conviction, citing inconsistencies in the victim's testimony and lack of evidence for coercion or threats. The 17-year-old complainant filed charges in December 2023, alleging Somluck had assaulted her in a Khon Kaen hotel, with the pair meeting in a bar before she rode back to his hotel on his motorcycle.
Somluck, who also claimed titles at the 1994 and 1998 Asian Games in Hiroshima and Bangkok, denied the allegations.
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