ISSUE 4 - Chiangmai mail

Issue : 4AUG Sports Today Thursday 16 December 2010 3Ajarn Mawin Thawieng,Bowling Coach, ThailandAt these Games our bowlingteam expects to win, but more thanwinning we need a good sportingspirit. Our team has gone throughtough training and we trust in allthe bowlers. Last time, in Malaysia,we collected 8 gold medals asour best result. This year, competingon our own ground, we shoulddo better. The competitors wehave to focus are the Malaysianand Singaporean teams. We, however,cannot underestimate anybody. With Chiang Mai as the host ofthis event we are supporting our tourism, arts, and culture. We canshow all visitors the bright side of local wisdom and encourage them tocome back to visit again. As for the team, we need to learn how to winsome and lose some and do so graciously and with good spirit.Dantri Longjamnond,Thai football player“I am very happy to servethe country in this event.The Thai football team hasa good chance to win atthese ASEAN UniversityGames. If we do notunderestimate the otherteams and are prepared forthe unexpected, we willhave the opportunity to bethe winners. I would wantall sport fans to come cheerus but to cheer all sports.”Visitors from Timor LesteAmbassador comes to Chiang Mai for the GamesAmbassador of Timor Leste,Joao Freitas De Camara,visits Chiang Mai for the 15 thAUG.Erminio Da Silva Pinto ofthe Thailand Timor LesteEmbassy noted the long tripfrom Timor Leste.Timorese athletes are warmly greeted upon their arrival atChiang Mai International Airport.Behind the ScenesThe Grand Opening and Closing CeremoniesChiang Mai’s diversity of racesand beauty of its nature and theloyalty of the Thai people to HMthe King were the driving themesbehind the Grand Opening ceremonyfor the 15 th ASEAN UniversityGames last night at MaejoUniversity Gymnasium.Mrs. Anongnart Ratnisirichan,who conceived the shows andtrained the performers for boththe Opening and Closing ceremonysaid, “With this theme wewanted to communicate the fantasticthings that Thailand has tooffer and to let people knowabout the generosity of HM theKing and what he has done tohelp the hilltribes people of theNorth and their loyalty to HisMajesty.”She added that the cultural diversitiesin the North have beendivided into 6 shows with thefirst three being presented lastnight at the Opening Ceremonyand the final three at the ClosingCeremony on December 23, 2010.The first theme presented theunique culture of the hilltribes;to conceptualize their lives atthe mountaintops, their danceand more.Mr. Joao Freitas De Camara, theAmbassador of Timor Leste toThailand came to Chiang Mai tocheer on Timor Leste in the 15 thAUG. He noted that this was nothis first AUG games, that he hadattended the 14 th Games in Malaysiatwo years ago.“I feel excited to see newthings,” he said. Adding, “Wehave high hopes that we will beable to send more athletes to futureGames by building up networksat this one, especially inbeach volleyball, karatedo,taekwando and pencal silat.”Secretary of the Embassy, Mr.Erminio Da Silva Pinto, said theywere very impressed with thewelcoming preparations for theathletes of the AUG at ChiangMai International Airport on thefirst day.He added that more sportsmenand women are expected to takepart in the next AUG in Laos in thenext two years, “Thank you verymuch for taking care of the TimorLeste athletes for these Games.”Lastly, he remarked that it is difficultto find airline seats flyingfrom Timor Leste to Thailand, asflights are rare in the peak tourismseason. “We have to stopover at Bali, Indonesia first andthen fly to Bangkok and then onto Chiang Mai.”Story by Sawarot MahawansuPhoto by Atitaya Kanjanatharn,Sulakkana Tiannoi“For the first performance wewant to present the young andfresh faces of the hilltribes girlsand show the world that they nolonger grow opium poppies becauseof His Majesty the King’sroyal projects to provide cropreplacement to the hilltribespeople.”The second theme of the showwas the presentation of the amazing700 year old Lanna cultureand the Buddha Sihing imagethat is celebrated during the ThaiNew Year of Songkran in April.The show offers a mixture of thedifferent ethnic groups in theNorth, such as the Thai Lue andfeatured the Fon Khandok dancetroupes showing off traditionalChiang Mai beauties and culture.The third show was a presentationof the Contemporary Lannaculture to show the freshnessand livability of Chiang Mai. Thetraditional clothes combined withLet’s Meet TableTennis stars from LaosIt is the very first international tournament for SoulichakPhannavong and Khanthong Khamvilay, 2 Table Tennis stars fromLao PDR, who are very happy to be in Thailand and brought withthem all of their confidence.Soulichak Phannavong“I’m very happy to be here participatingin the ASEAN UniversityGames, I have been to Thailandon a number of occasion but amvery excited to be in Chiang Mai, Ihave received a lot of moral supportfrom my countrymen”.modern dance and music showcasesthis theme. “So this is reallya challenging project and wewant to offer interesting thingsfor the audience to view. Wehave planned and worked formore than half a year and we havehad good cooperation from everyoneinvolved. This show willhelp spread the uniqueness ofNorthern Thailand to the world,”she said.For the Closing Ceremony Mrs.Anongnart said they want topresent the National Anthems ofeach country and songs popularin each member country so as toshow the cooperation among allthe nations of ASEAN.“This might be overlooked bythe some people, as it seems asmall thing but it is really importantin peoples’ minds. We wantto make the sportsmen andwomen feel proud and part of theevent. This should be built up thegood image and reputation ofThailand, the land of smiles.”Students from the SansaiWithayakhom School in San Saidistrict, Chiang Mai, SaiNampueng School in Bangkok ,the Dramatic Arts College, andMaejo University are participatingas dancers in both ceremonies.“Our team feels very proud ofthe Opening and Closing ceremoniesas we have worked veryhard on the shows,” she concluded.By Sawarot Mahawansu,Parinda ThanapalinPhoto by Kanokwan Chantorn,Nuttaporn PanyaKhanthong Khamvilay“It is my first time in the ASEANUniversity Games. I am veryhappy, a little excited but I’m100% ready for today’s Game”.Story by Ms. Wanwisa Buapakam,Photo by Mr. Puriwat Boonnak