Hopes fly high with flag

Celebrities, sports stars, students and fans congregated at Siam Square to attach pieces of fabric, which later emerged as a 18x27m flag, which was presented to the Olympic Committee of Thailand secretary-general Charouck Arirachakaran.

As a part of the 1-2-Call ID showcase activities presented by AIS (Advanced Info Service), the flag will be on display at Suvarnabhumi Airport to boost the athletes before leaving for the Games.

Former Olympic medallists, Somluck Kamsing (1996 boxing gold), Paweena Thongsuk (2004 weightlifting gold) and Yaowapa Boorapolchai (2004 taekwondo bronze), tennis star Tamarine Tanasugarn and footballer Teeratep Winothai were involved in the event."It's touching to see fans help create such a big flag. All athletes will be overwhelmed to see the flag before they get on the plane," said Tamarine who will be taking part in her fourth successive Olympics.

"I'm honoured to be invited as a sport icon and I wish that children will be inspired and determined to pursue their goals in sports," she said.

Somluck, who made history by winning the Kingdom's first Olympic gold medal at Atlanta 1996, recalled how inspirational the national flag was for the athletes.

"You feel proud even it's a small national flag on your shirt. So, imagine how they will feel when they see a national flag of this size. The support from fans is invaluable," the boxing legend said. "We have eight boxers going to Beijing and I expect all of them to grab medals. They work hard and deserve to win."

Meanwhile, weightlifter Paweena urged fans to lend support to Premsiri Boonpitak and Pensiri Laosirikul, who will battle for honours in the women's 48kg section.

"Let's extend our support to the two girls on August 9 because it will be the first Games gold on offer," said Paweena, the former  world champion and Asian Games gold medallist.

Apart from the flag, the athletes also helped sell items such as wrist bands and tennis balls with Tamarine's autographs, bracelets and T-shirts to raise funds for the Olympic Committee of Thailand.