BANGKOK, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Thailand' Tourism and Sports Minister confirmed on Friday that the country will complete the preparation work on time to be able to co-host the Asian Cup football games scheduled next year.

    Earlier reports by Thai media have said that visiting officials from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in October had voiced out worries over the delays in Thailand's preparations for the quadrennial tournament.

    The major drawback lay on the renovation of the two main stadiums holding the event- Rajamangala National Stadium and Suphachalasai Stadium to install enough seats for viewers.

    The Minister of Tourism and Sports, Suvit Yodmani, who took office nearly three months ago as a member of the post-coup interim government, told Xinhua at Friday's conference that the ministry has found a contractor to undertake the seats renovation project, adding that now there should be no doubts about Thailand's readiness to host the event as the government will make sure everything progresses on time.

    The 14th Asian Cup, the biggest national soccer tournament in Asia, will be co-hosted in Asia for the first time by Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia in July 2007. The AFC has warned that it might transfer Thailand's hosting right to another Asian country if the kingdom could not complete its preparation on schedule.

    The games is among the 10 major sports events to be hosted in Thailand, including the Southeast Asia (SEA) Games, World University Games, King's Cup soccer tournament, and an international marathon expected to attract some 50,000 athletes.

    Suvit said these events are expected to not only attract athletes but also boost tourism next year, along with other celebrations on the 80th birthday of the King of Thailand.