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Four years ago, three Thai gold medallists brought joy to the nation when they sang the Thai national anthems on victory podiums at the Athens Games. There were no surveys to poll the mood of the audience at home, but it's a certainty that that Thailand was a happy nation then.

Next month, the greatest sports event will return. As of press time, 39 Thai athletes were tightening their shoelaces in preparation for the games, which run from August 8 to 24. Two Thai wind surfers are set to become the first Thai athletes to arrive in China, on July 14, arriving early to acclimate themselves to local conditions. The Thai boxing team, meanwhile, is training in Ho Chi Minh City.

The number of Thai athletes may increase after July 16, when the final 16 4x100 relay teams that have qualified for the Olympics are announced. Thai teams, both male and female, have a chance of qualifying, as they are ranked 16th at the moment. If the Thai relay teams make the cut, the Thailand contingent at the games will be 49, higher than the 42 at Athens.

After the torch relay was marred by political debate, the focus on the Olympic Games has moved to the true essence of the Olympic Games: the athletes' desire to challenge their limits and a celebration of the human spirit. Even the torch relay created an appetite for the Games among locals after the confusing stories about how the torch had been "lost and found". Torch bearers thought they had lost the torch, but it was found being kept by a sponsor. Later on, the torch was found to have been bitten by a dog, which left his teeth marks in the historic object.

At any rate, the world's greatest sporting event involves 15,000 athletes worldwide competing for 302 gold medals.

Thai athletes should have stood a better chance of bringing home a record haul of Olympic gold medals because this is the first time since the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul that the event will take place in Asia. However, the prospects thus far don't look so bright. Sports gurus say that if Thai athletes manage to come back home with one gold medal, that could be described as a success for the nation.

Four years ago, Thai athletes were a sensation, coming back with three gold medals, one silver and four bronze. A gold in weightlifting diversified the Thai success from boxing, which had been the primary focus of Thai Olympic efforts for years. The nation cherished the gold medals brought home by Thai women weightlifters Pawina Thongsuk and Udomporn Polsak. Thailand placed 25th in Olympic rankings, a major jump from 46 in Sydney 2000, but the country is expected to slide back this year.

This time round, the country's chances for gold in any event apart from boxing are slim. Either Thailand has failed to develop its sports ability or other countries have been catching up fast.

The Thai weightlifting association has failed to find a rightful successor to Pawina, who used to compete in the 75-kilogram category, and Udomporn, who lifted in the 53-kilogram category. These two heroines have retired. And their replacements are set to face tough competitions from the Chinese, who dominate weightlifting.

The number of athletes from Thailand is slightly reduced this year. The number of Thai taekwondo combatants went from four to three this year after Yaowapa Boorapolchai announced her retirement. Only four Thai badminton players qualified for competition in Beijing, compared to eight in Athens. The nation nonetheless can place high hopes on Boonsak Ponsana, current No 14 in the world and a former Olympic semi-finalist. But Boonsak is expected to face a daunting challenge from Chinese and Indonesian players.

The most disappointing category is tennis. Four years ago, both Thai tennis stars Paradorn Srichaphan and Tamarine Tanasugarn were magnets for Thai fans watching the Olympics. But this time round, there will not be any Thai tennis players in Beijing. Paradorn's performance has slumped. In spite of Tamarine's impressive resilience at Wimbledon, it was not enough for her to qualify.

Therefore, all hopes are now on the boxers. Thai boxers should have a chance at gold, because this time eight Thai boxers have qualified for Beijing, compared to only six in Athens. General Thaweep Jantharoj, the president of the Amateur Boxing Association of Thailand, says all eight boxers have a chance to snatch gold medals if they can reach the semi-finals.

Thaweep is confident that Somjit Jongjohor, who won the Asian Games as a teenager, and Olympic gold medallist Manus Boonjumnong, will reach the finals. Manus, dubbed a "reformed playboy", managed to qualify despite his party-boy reputation because he is strongly determined to defend his Olympic title.

Sponsors are now offering a large pot of gold for any athlete who can bring gold to the nation. They know that amid the current gloomy situation, Olympic medals would boost the nation's spirits. The Olympic Games show the beauty of tolerance, determination and humanity united. And that's what the country needs the most right now.