Floods leave a mental scar on national athletes

Sport is no exempt from this. The catastrophe has affected Thai athletes’ training and preparations for major competitions.

Bangkok, which has many training venues for national athletes to prepare for major sporting events, has already braced itself for impacts from the flooding, which has left a trail of destruction in areas north of the capital. Invariably, Thai sports people and administrators are on high alert.

Aside from the devastation at golf courses, including the Bangkok Golf Club, the flood has ruined 28 stadiums. To renovate the flood-ravaged stadiums, around Bt100 million will have to be spent.

It is predicted that Khlong Saen Saeb in Bang Kapi will be overwhelmed by floodwater and the adjacent Hua Mark Indoor Stadium is likely to be hard hit. 

To fight the flood, over 30,000 sandbags were used as barriers in surrounding areas.

The flood have played havoc with domestic sports competitions. The National Junior Weightlifting Championships in Chon Buri at the end of this month have been rescheduled to December, while the National Games in Khon Kaen between November 27 and December 7 were cancelled. The rescheduled date will be announced soon.

More importantly, the semi-finals of a premier Muaythai event, which will see two Thai pugilists, welterweight Kem Sitsongpeenong and junior middleweight Buakaw Por Pramuk, in contention for world titles, was initially scheduled for tomorrow at the Thammasat Rangsit Convention Hall. However, due to the increasing level of water at the Thammasat Rangsit University campus, the organisers decided to postpone the competition to November 6 instead.

Teams contesting this weekend’s Thai Premier League matches have switched venues. 

Among them are the Bangkok Glass FC, who initially planned to take on Samut Songkhram FC at the flood-hit Leo Stadium in Pathum Thani. Instead, they will play at the Thephassadin Stadium.

Meanwhile, the Fifa Futsal World Cup 2012 will be hosted by Thailand and the Nong Chok Stadium in Min Buri was expected to serve as a training venue for the competition. However, the place is severely inundated. Once the flood water recedes, it will need urgent rehabilitation.

Last but not the least, Thai athletes have been training intensively for the SEA Games in Indonesia from November 11-22. One won’t be greatly surprised if Thai athletes return with fewer than expected gold medals.

There are many reasons for probable failure in the biennial sports extravaganza. 

The flood will be one among of them. Aside from lack of training stints due to flooded venues, many Thai athletes are also suffering psychological problems. 

Hundreds of them have lost their homes, some of them lost their jobs after the companies in which they work got flooded.

And while it may sound dire, Thai athletes should see an opportunity in the crisis and to lift the mood of the country with their performance in international competitions.