Thailand boxing boss Thana Chaiprasit believes the country's hopes of winning a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics rely on those who have been successful in previous editions.

The amateur boxing team claimed one gold, one silver, and one bronze medal at the 2004 Games in Athens.

"I'm optimistic that one of the boxers will bring home a gold medal. I believe that our female weightlifters will do a good job in Beijing, too, and should bring home a medal in these Games," Thana added.

Meanwhile, telecom service provider AIS announced that it will award every gold medallist Bt100,000.

Silver and bronze winners will get Bt50,000 and Bt30,000 respectively.

In addition, AIS is giving mobile telephones and SIM cards worth Bt1,500 to all medal winners and their coaches.

AIS promises further incentives for athletes by handing them SIM cards as well as cards for  officials and the local news media participating at Beijing.

Fans using AIS in Beijing during the Games will get a 50-per-cent discount.