The Amazing Sports Wonder That is Thailand

(this appears in my column in the sports section of today's Business Mirror)

The Amazing Sports Wonder That Is Thailand
by rick olivares

There’s an interesting bit of history here in Thailand. I just found out that it’s the only country in Southeast Asia never to have been colonized. Timor was under the Portuguese. The Dutch claimed Indonesia. Indochina and Burma were colonized by the French. Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia by the British. And the Philippines was under the Spanish and later the Americans.

The movie the King and I may be only a musical to most of us. But the King of that movie, Mongkut, and his son and heir, Chulalongkorn were largely responsible for Siam, as Thailand was then known, coming out ahead and benefiting from Western civilization through innovative trade reforms much of which is still felt today.

King Mongkut, lived as a Buddhist monk for 27 years yet was also educated in the Western ways. By the time he ascended to the throne, his unique perspective gave him the wisdom and foresight to sign trade agreements with the European powers that greatly benefited his country. His charisma and willingness to adapt to industrialization and western ideas helped avoid outright colonization. The Thai educational system was inspired by a visit to Oxford. And the sports club next to the world-famous British university inspired Mongkut’s son, Chulalongkorn, to put up one as well and oversee its progress until his untimely death in 1910.

That club is known today as the Royal Bangkok Sports Club where horse racing, golf, cricket, rugby, football, and badminton are among the many sports one can enjoy in this exclusive enclave. And it's location is outstanding... right in the heart of downtown Bangkok giving Thais a slice of Central Park in Southeast Asia.

In the Southeast Asian region, Thailand is considered a power in many sports.

The national football team is an immense source of pride for the people. Their highest FIFA ranking ever was at #43 back in September 1998. Yet currently, they are pegged at #126, third among Southeast Asian countries behind Hong Kong (#111) and Singapore (#123). Their women’s team is ranked #42 in the world.

Last May, the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) celebrated its 90th anniversary (in contrast, the Philippines will be commemorating their 100th this December 2007). With the 2010 World Cup just a few years away, Thai football officials have begun to plan for a possible berth in football’s premier event. FAT is in discussions with the government for funding that will greatly help in making this dream a reality. It might sound far-fetched given that there are a number of powers in Asia including Iran, Australia, Japan, Korea, and quite a few others including Iraq, but nothing is impossible when you put your mind to it, right?

The Thai Premier League received a huge shot in the arm when the prize money was raised from 10 million to 25 million baht. This has made the games more competitive in the season that just got underway after it was delayed by the country’s recent hosting of the Asian Football Championships and the World University Games.

The country’s sporting scene is on the upsurge. They have a rugby union and tournament that is getting better and is in the process of expansion. Their national sport, Muay Thai or Thai boxing has been exported to the rest of the world with local practitioners Nai Khanom Tom and Tony Jaa, and Dutchman Ramon Dekkers becoming international stars.

And golf has become a huge sport in the country with some 250 courses all stretched across 514,000 kilometers (Thailand is the world’s 49th largest country). The par 74 St. Andrews course in Rayong features two overwhelming par six holes that course management says would prompt, “Old Tom Morris (the golf pioneer) would turn in his grave.”

Although the recent Thailand Open (held in the last week of September) was lacking in star power as none of the previous champions James Blake and Roger Federer as well as Nikolay Davydanko and Rafael Nadal weren’t able to make it because of injuries and other concerns, the appearance of rising star Sam Querrey, Carlos Moya, Tommy Haas, Vince Spadea, and Benjamin Becker helped spice up the competition that was eventually won by Russia’s Dmitry Tursunov.

The PTT Bangkok Open which ended yesterday, Sunday, featured some of the top women’s tennis players in Jelena Jankovic, Venus Williams, and Shahar Peer.

Aside from Asian heartthrob Paradorn Schrichapan, Thai women have their own idol in Tamarine Tanasugarn to cheer for. Although Tanasugarn fell to Williams in the second round of the competition, the American who bided for her second title in three years (she lost to Italian Flavia Pennetta in the semi-finals), had good words for the Thai lass’s competitiveness.

Thai tennis officials believe that the appearances by some of the world’s top tennis players in local events will greatly boost the profile of tennis in the country while adding to their booming tourist industry. One resident points to the recent surge and strength of the baht as a factor in the rise of local sports and their athletes.

When King Mongkut first adapted Western ideas and technology in Siam, he left his ministers with a bit of sound advice, “Whatever they (the foreigners) have invented or done which we do not know of and do, we can imitate and learn from them.”

And if Tom Morris will turn in his grave, maybe Mongkut (and Chulalongkorn) will be ecstatic to see where they are now.