Soccer... English above all!
It's a little known fact, but the Thais are football-mad. All English Premier League matches are broadcast in Thailand, and even the domestic league (albeit of a mediocre standard) attracts large numbers of fans to the country's stadiums. And Thais don't just watch the games. If fans bet a lot of money on online betting platforms before each English match, the country's big money is not hesitating to put its hand in the wallet. Sometimes even at the highest levels of government. In 2007, for example, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra became the owner of Manchester City, after attempting to buy Liverpool some time earlier. Although he sold it a year later to the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, he gave ideas to Chinese-born Thai billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, founder of King Power (Thai duty free ), who bought Leicester in 2010, which was then languishing in the second division. Defying all the odds, he climbed to the Premier League and won the English championship in 2016! Before seeing his team compete in the prestigious Champions League the following season. Srivaddhanaprabha then became a veritable legend in the East Midlands and... in Thailand, of course! Victim of a helicopter accident due to the wind just after taking off from the pitch of his British stadium, he passed away on October 27, 2018. His son Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabh has since presided over the fortunes of the Foxes, Leicester's nickname.
Other Thai investments in British soccer include the 2015 takeover of historic Championship club Sheffield Wednesday by Dejphon Chansiri, from the family of giant Thai Union, a multinational fishing and seafood company. Or Oxford United, which has fallen into the hands of Sumrith "Tiger" Thanakarnjanasut and the famous local beer brand Chang, which has been Everton's shirt sponsor for many years. Aware of this buoyant market, Europe's biggest clubs no longer hesitate to set down their ball bags in this part of the globe every summer on the occasion of highly profitable pre-season tours.
High level badminton and petanque
Badminton. Today, badminton is on its way to dethrone the most popular sports in Thailand. The fame of Ratchanok Intanon, the youngest world champion of all time at the age of 18 (in 2013), is such that it now rivals that of the great Thai muay boxers. Badminton is an explosive, fast game, the wheel can reach dizzying speeds, beyond 300 km/h. In Thailand, it is played everywhere, and there is a fabulous pool of players of very high level. Several champions are among the top 100 in the world, both girls and boys.
Petanque. Yes, you read that right! Petanque is very popular in the land of smiles. It was the Queen Mother herself who brought it to the country after a stay on the Côte d'Azur in the 1950s. Today, the kingdom counts more than two million amateurs and thousands of professionals! Proof of the national craze, the 2015 Junior and Women's Petanque World Championships were held in Bangkok. And the tournaments still have their place in sports broadcasts and sometimes even in the news. It must be said that Thai men and women players have had very good results in international competitions in recent years. In short, Thailand is really the other country of petanque!
Traditional disciplines
Sepak Takraw. A mixture of volleyball and soccer, takraw (pronounced "sèpake takro") is played with a 12 cm-diameter wicker or rigid plastic ball. The basic rule is to keep the ball in the air without ever using your hands. The game is generally pleasant and always spectacular. There are several variations. The version most often played, and also the one used in international matches in South-East Asia, is played by teams of three with a volleyball net set slightly lower.
Kite fights. These traditionally take place from March to May, at the end of the dry season when the winds become stronger. Male" and "female" kites joust under the impassive eyes of a referee. The game consists in making the opponent tumble into his camp. The oval-shaped female, smaller than the male, is fitted with a ring; the star-shaped male has bamboo hooks.
Dugout races. Dugout canoe races are held in every suitable town. The spectacle is lively and colorful, and the pirogue boats can sometimes be very impressive, with up to 100 rowers.
A "diving destination" of choice
To the west and east of its territory, Thailand offers two privileged diving areas. The Andaman Sea, with 870 km of coastline stretching from the Burmese border and the famous Burma Banks to the shores of Penang in Malaysia. Then the Gulf of Siam, from the Cambodian border to just south of Narathiwat, with its 1,800 km of coastline and several hundred islands and islets, not all of them inhabited. As these two areas experience different monsoons (south-west for the Andaman Sea, north-west for the Gulf of Siam), it's generally possible to dive in good conditions all year round! The best season for visibility is from December to March on Phuket and between March and May around Koh Samui.
With an average temperature of over 26°C and impressive tropical clarity, Thailand's waters are rich in marine flora and fauna. A spectacle and a variety of colors that never leave you indifferent. Thailand can also be a superb learning ground for beginners, thanks to the quality of its infrastructure, the friendliness of its instructors and the diversity of its dive sites. For introductory to advanced courses (Advanced Diver), the environment is ideal. The schools issue one or other of the American diplomas: PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructor) or NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors). We advise you to make your choice according to your future diving destinations, even if there is not necessarily a clear geographical division.
Around Phuket, the most famous beaches are Shark Point, Koh Racha, Koh Phi Phi and Koh Doh Mai. Offshore, the Similan Islands offer visibility in excess of 35 m. Koh Surin and Burma Banks, further out, are also famous for the spectacle of manta rays, sharks and even the occasional whale shark.
In the Gulf of Siam, Pattaya's proximity to Bangkok makes it a popular diving base, as well as the starting point for excursions to Koh Chang National Park. Further south, the Chumphon region also boasts several renowned dive sites: Hin Lak Ngam, Koh Ngam Noi, Koh Ngam Yai and Hin Pae. Finally, further offshore and around Koh Samui, you can take your flippers for a walk in the Ang Thong national park to the superb spots of Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao.
Jet-ski, flyboard or deep-sea fishing?
So, while Thailand is a prime underwater spot, there are also ways to enjoy yourself on the surface. Those who want to tease the fish usually head for Pattaya and Phuket. If you're looking for a "leisurely" fishing trip, just to spend a dream day with friends on a boat, some agencies offer big-game fishing sessions. Tuna, swordfish, marlin and sailfish are all well catered for. Calling all enthusiasts!
But Pattaya and Phuket are also well known for their many small water sports agencies, both motorized and non-motorized. And in these two paradises of idleness and tourism, the range of possibilities is endless: dinghy sailing, jet-skiing (be careful with swimmers, and also think of the coral reefs, which are often directly affected by this practice), parasailing, windsurfing, sea kayaking... The latest fashionable activity, flyboarding, is also very popular. In short, on Thailand's beaches, between a massage and a sunbathing session, there's no time to get bored!
Inland, too, you can spend your energy
Forest trekking and wildlife parks. Thailand offers a great playground for trekking enthusiasts, with no particular difficulties. All in all, it's a pleasant country to walk in, with no need for exceptional physical fitness. Forest walks, visits to mountain villages (more or less authentic), river trips on a bamboo raft, elephant rides... Because this will also be an opportunity to meet some exceptional animals. You can visit a crocodile farm in Bangkok, pet tigers in Chiang Mai, admire manta rays and leatherback turtles in Khao Lak, and much more. The possibilities are numerous and often unique. Be careful, however, to select only the most serious and animal-friendly parks.
Golf. With over 500,000 golfers, thousands of occasional visitors and more than 150 courses, Thai golf is doing very well indeed. Like a number of other Southeast Asian countries, Thailand has become a quality destination for golfers. What's more, prices here are affordable. Most courses are located close to major tourist areas. If you're traveling with the family, you'll easily find a course close to the beaches.
