Action from the 2009 7th Phuket International Soccer 7s.

AIS7 will take place on November 20 and 21 at the Cherntalay soccer ground, with 20 teams each signed up for the Open competition and the Masters.

The teams come from Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Vietnam,Malaysia, Australia, Japan, China and England. There are also two Thai-based teams in the Cup competition, both from Phuket – HotelTravel.Com FC and Indigo Pearl. From Thailand, the lineup for the Masters Cup (over 35) includes Bangkok Airways FC, Bigfoot Kickers, Farangutans FC, Thailand Sunbelt Utd and Phuket’s own Morning Star.

The battle for top honours in PIS7 will take place on November 27 and 28 at the FIFA Tsunami soccer field in Ao Makham, and will include a similarly international lineup, so far totalling 35 teams, including crews from Cambodia, France and India. Phuket will be represented in the open competition by Morning Star.

To ensure that all teams are fit to play in either AIS7 or PIS7, there will be a subdued welcome party in Soi Bangla the night before, and a quiet party at Seduction Disco, Patong, at the end of the first day.

Spectators may watch the tournaments free. For more information, visit the competition website.

Soccer players gear up for Phuket and Andaman 7s is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Australian Belinda Granger, a regular competitor in the Laguna Phuket Triathlon, will this year take on both events. Photo courtesy Laguna Phuket.

Reigning Ironman 70.3 world champion Michael Raelert of Germany heads a high-calibre field of professional triathletes from around the world who will take on not one, but two triathlons in the space of eight days – the Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT) on Sunday, November 28, and the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship the following Sunday, December 5.

The pros will join some 900 amateur individual and relay team competitors in each triathlon, amid a scene-setting 10-day carnival of related events.

In addition to Raelert, the pro line-up competing in both events includes former Ironman 70.3 world champion and 2004 Olympian Samantha McGlone from Canada; 12-time Iron distance race champion and Laguna Triathlon regular Belinda Granger of Australia; Italy’s Massimo Cigana, a former LPT champion and Ironman 70.3 winner, and the fastest runner in last year’s LPT; experienced Ironman and Ironman 70.3 contender Justin Granger of Australia; and Sweden’s Frederik Croneberg, runner-up in the recent Ironman 70.3 Tokoname Japan.

The line-up will also include other top names contesting the Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship alone for a slice of the US$75,000 purse: five-time Ironman champion Luke McKenzie of Australia; 2008 Ironman 70.3 Florida winner Paul Amey of Britain; Tim O’ Donnell of the USA, the 2009 International Triathlon Union long distance world champion; and Australian Rachael Paxton, winner of the inaugural 2009 Ironman 70.3 Putrajaya in Malaysia.

“We’re absolutely delighted to have attracted such an exciting line-up of some of the world’s top pro triathletes led by the reigning Ironman 70.3 world champion,” said LPT director Debbie Dionysius.

Pros and amateurs entered for both races face the challenge of recovering from the LPT to take on the Ironman 70.3 Championship a week later, on an extended course described as “a turbocharged Laguna Phuket Triathlon.”

The LPT course has a 1.8k swim, 55k bike ride and 12k run – while the Ironman 70.3 course has a 1.9k swim, 90k bike ride and 21.1k run. (The 70.3 series takes its name from the total distance of the event in miles – respectively, 1.2, 56 and 13.1 miles.)

The Ironman 70.3 bike course is particularly challenging, crossing Phuket’s main north-south highway on a specially-built ramp to run into the picturesque east coast hills, before swinging back to Laguna Phuket through a series of steep inclines along the Nai Thon coastline.

To support competitors’ preparations, a carnival of triathlon training and related social events is being staged at various venues around Laguna Phuket before, during and after the main races, with opportunities for amateurs to train alongside the pros.

Ironmen and women head for tough Phuket double-header is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Groms away! And no experience required.

Phuket doesn’t have the big booming surf of Hawaii or Australia, but it does have waves big enough to test the abilities of grommets (or groms) – youngsters who just love to grab a surfboard and head for the beach to catch a wave or two.

Now there’s an additional reason for them to paint their faces with multicoloured zinc sunblock, haul on the surfing baggies and get down to the beach: the Rip Curl Grom Search 2010.

The Search will consist of three one-day events at three different beaches: Nai Harn Beach on August 21, Kata Beach on September 4 and Surin Beach on September 18

Each day begins at 7 am with registration followed by a beach clean-up and ocean awareness program with Phuket water safety specialist Steven A. Martin – gotta pay your dues first.

Then there will be a free surf clinic (with soft boards supplied by Nautilus Surf Shop) and a free lunch of healthy salads, sandwiches and fruit juice catered by DaVinci’s Restaurant. The surf contest will offer surf heats and finals for the boys and girls in various divisions, resulting in a variety of awards, prizes, and ending with a sunset BBQ beach party and fire-twirling show.

No experience is required, say the organisers, and everyone can learn not only about surfing but also about ocean safety, rip currents and sandbanks, and how to reduce water pollution and marine garbage piling up on Phuket’s shores.

The Grom Search is presented by Australian surfing equipment and clothing company Rip Curl, and is supported by local municipalities and a variety of Phuket businesses.

For more details or to join in, go to the Rip Curl Thailand Facebook page.

Surf’s up for kids – Rip Curl Grom Search in Phuket is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Gotcha - but just a little bit over the line. New Zealand's Nicholas Clere concedes the third goal.

The final was between Australia and Iran, but the match the local crowd came to Surakul Stadium to watch yesterday was the battle for third place in the Seniors World Cup, between Thailand and New Zealand.

As the Thai teens jammed into the stadium screamed their approval (or simply screamed to show they could do it louder than the other kids), Thailand utterly dominated the match.

Partly this may have been because the humidity felt like it was around 2,000%. That, combined with a temperature not far off 35º had the Kiwis looking like limp lettuce in no time. Added to that was the state of the pitch, waterlogged after recent heavy rain, resulting in any ground ball going about five yards before stopping, throwing up a tail of water like a jet-ski. It was slippery out there.

This game's a scream! Teens celebrate another goal for the home side.

The Thais, naturally more used  to such conditions, ran rings around the cautious Kiwis. The contrast between the two sides’ styles of play could not have been greater – the Kiwis playing tentative triangles – forward, sideways, back – and the Thais playing long fast passes, swinging play joyfully from side to side, always pushing for the far goal.

At times it seemed as though Thailand had three times as many players on the pitch as New Zealand did. Whenever a Kiwi got hold of the ball, the Thais were all over him. Whenever a Thai got hold of it, chances were 50-50 there was no Kiwi anywhere near.

NZ goalie Nicholas Clere got stacks of exercise as the Thais fired shot after shot at his goal. Eventually, the fusillade took its toll – it had to; sheer weight of numbers. Final score: 3-1.

Oh yes, and the final: Australia 4, Iran 1. Congratulations to all you old blokes. A fine afternoon’s entertainment.

Thai clobber NZ to take 3rd in Senior World Cup is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Thailand in action during the 2008 Seniors World Cup. They came out champions that year, but are not looking so hot in 2010. Photos: FISA

Professional soccer players ranging in age from 38 up – some in their 50s – might be thought to be too far over the hill for a shot at the World Cup. But in Phuket over the next few days one lucky national side has a chance of glory, in the Football Senior World Cup 2010, currently being played out, mostly at Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town and Karon Stadium.

Eight national teams – Thailand, Iran, England, Armenia, Australia, the USA, New Zealand and Taiwan – are in the race. Divided into two groups of four, they are currently playing three days of  round-robin matches to decide first and second place in each group.

On Friday (June 4) the Cup semis will be played between the winners of Group A and the second-place team in Group B, and vice-versa.

The following day, matches will be played at Karon and Surakul to decide 3rd to 7th places in the tournament, with the final taking place at Surakul at 6pm. (Most matches take place at either 4 or 6pm.)

After the first two days, only Australia had a clean record, having beaten the USA 3-0 and New Zealand 2-1. Thailand – champions in the first and third Seniors World Cup competitions, in 2006 and 2008 – have not started well, recording two draws – a goalless game against Iran, and a 2-2 result against England.

Other results for Day 1 were: England 3 Armenia 2; New Zealand 0 Taiwan 2. On Day 2 the other results were: Iran 4 Armenia 0; USA 2 Taiwan 1.

The rules stipulate that each team’s goalkeeper must be at least 38 years of age, with the remaining members divided as follows: three between 38 and 44 years old, foue between 45 and 49, and three aged 50-plus.

The Seniors World Cup is organised by the Thailand-based Fédération Internationale de Senior Football Association, or FISA, headed by former national politician Somsak Thepsutin. FISA also organises an annual Bangkok Masters soccer competition for seniors in December each year.

Senior soccer stars take one more stab at World Cup is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Kids have a 2-km race all to themselves.

It’s time to get those smelly old Nike and Adidas running shoes out of the depths of the closet and start getting into shape for the Laguna Phuket Marathon in just over a month’s time, on Sunday June 13.

As always, for those who reckon that a 42-km jog – roughly the distance from Phuket Town to the Sarasin Bridge at the top of the island – might just be a little too much to take on, there will be shorter races.

The marathon itself starts in darkness, at 4:30 am. At 6 am the half marathon will kick off, followed by the 10.5-km run at 6:30. The winners of these three events are expected to breast the tape between 7:10 and 7:45.

At 8 am the rather more leisurely 5-km walk begins, followed an hour later by the 2-km Kids’ Run.

To register online, go here (Internet Explorer or Safari only).

Those registered before June 4 will pay lower entry fees. Those who don’t get themselves organised by that date can still join in by registering on June 11 and 12, the two days before the event. They should go to Laguna Grove – the start/finish area – between 10 am and 5 pm on those days. Entry fees (in baht) are as follows:

Call for Laguna Marathon entries is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

The Fantastic Phuket team, from left, Hervé Duprat, GM of the Novotel Phuket Resort, See-Som, Sales & Marketing Manager at the All Seasons Naiharn, Tu, Sport & Activities Manager at the Novotel Phuket and Pop, Sales Director at the Mercure Patong.

If you happen to be on Koh Lone, in the middle of Chalong Bay, on March 24, be careful you don’t get run over by 16 red-faced, sweating hotel people pounding along a 4-km course. If you do get run over, consider it a sacrifice to the well-being of the children of Thailand.

The hotel athletes will all be from the Accor hotel group, which is staging this year’s Race For Survival – a group fund-raising event – in Phuket. It’s a pretty grueling event: four days of kayak, swimming, bike and running races, all aimed at raising funds for Accor’s Yim Kids Fund, which will use the money to improve educational opportunities and children’s health.

Specific targets will include supporting slum schools in Bangkok, support for abandoned, HIV-infected children being looked after at Bangkok’s Mercy Centre, helping Koh Lao School in Ranong, which is still suffering from the effects of the 2004 Asian Tsunami, and improving the fishing equipment of villagers on Koh Lone.

The Race For Survival has raised significant charity funds in various places around the world. For example, the event held in Fiji raised more than 5.3 million baht for medical equipment. The minimum target for this year’s Phuket event is 3.6 million baht.

Sixteen teams of four from Accor hotels and offices ranging from Australia to Hong Kong will compete in the Phuket event:

Day 1 – March 22 – will see participants compete in a 5km run from Patong, a 1km swim at Patong Beach and a 20km bike ride from Patong to Naiharn. Day 2 has a 15km mountain bike race, a 1km swim at Naiharn and a 3km kayak race, also at Naiharn. Day 3′s competition consists of a 10km bike ride from Naiharn to Panwa, a 1km kayak race from Panwa to Koh Lone Island and a 4km foot race on Koh Lon Island. Finally, Day 4 will consist of a 1km swim and a 3km kayak race off Koh Lone, and a 20km bike race back to Patong

The local heroes are Fantastic Phuket, a foursome from the Novotel Phuket, the All Seasons Naiharn and the Mercure Patong. To see more about the team, go here. To back them, grab your credit card and go here.

Accor athletes race to survive in Phuket is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

The elephant was disqualified for having too many legs, so Australian pro racer Richie Cunningham won the men's title in the 2008 Laguna Phuket Triathlon. - Photo courtesy Laguna Resorts & Hotels.

After 16 years of hosting the highly successful Laguna Phuket Triathlon, Laguna Resorts & Hotels (LRH) has been rewarded by being named as the venue for the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship. The race, on December 10 next year, will be the culmination of a new annual Asia-Pacific Ironman 70.3 Event Series and Laguna is expected to be the permanent home of this Championship.

The triathlon, which attracts hundreds of athletes including, in recent years, top triathletes from various parts of the world, now has the added luster of being an Ironman championship event, which means a $60,000 professional prize purse as well 50 qualifying slots for the 2011 Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3 in Clearwater, Florida.

The Series is expected to include six races and grow to eight  or 10 races long-term. Athletes will be able to qualify, at the Laguna Phuket Asia-Pacific Championship race to compete at Ironman 70.3 races around the world and at selected races in new markets such as the first ever international triathlon to be held in India.

Belinda Granger, also of Australia, took the women's pro title last year. Both she and Cunningham will return this year to defend their Laguna titles. - Photo courtesy Laguna Resorts & Hotels.

“The decision to host the Championship event at Laguna Phuket was an easy one,” said Murphy Reinschreiber, the World Triathlon Corporation’s managing director for Asia-Pacific. “The resort serves as a destination with broad appeal to athletes in all of our markets, including Australia, Singapore, Japan, the U.S. and Europe, and it is a proven and storied triathlon venue.”

Michael Ayling, managing director of LRH, commented, “The management of Laguna Phuket and the government of Phuket Province are truly honoured, extremely excited and proud that Phuket has been selected to host the Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship.

“We feel that the 16 years of hard work and dedication that has gone into organizing the Laguna Phuket Triathlon has been rewarded by the international triathlon community, who recognize that we have the know-how and resources to ensure a very successful Asia-Pacific 70.3 Championship event in 2010 and beyond.”

Asia-Pacific Ironman championship coming to Laguna Phuket is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Scrum down: From left, Sean Panton, Klaus Hebben, Pat Cotter, Graeme Spence and David Adamson. Photo: PIA.

A few months ago, Patrick Cotter, Phuket’s “Mr Rugby” was bemoaning the lack of local official support for the game in Phuket (see story here). Today he’s beaming with delight after the signing of a memorandum of understanding that will see an international-standard rugby academy set up in Phuket and a world-class pitch made available for the game.

The deal was signed a few days ago between the Phuket International Academy’s Sports, Art & Wellness Centre (PIASAWC), and NZRugby Resources (NZRR), a private company that specialises in rugby training.

At the end of last month NZRR signed a similar MOU with the Malaysian Rugby Union, and its overseas marketing director, Rob Yule, recently returned from a successful assignment as Iran’s National Coach. He has also coached Sri Lanka. NZRR  has other rugby training deals with organisations in Japan, Lebanon, the Philippines, Portugal, Tahiti, and Bhutan.

The Phuket MOU was signed by the PIASAWC’s general manager, Sean Panton, and David Adamson, global operations director for NZRR. Watching with delight were the PIA’s founder Klaus Hebben, Graeme Spence, NZRR’s Southeast Asia director of operations and, of course, a grinning Cotter.

“We are very excited to sign our first of many strategic alliances with leading global sporting bodies. We are thrilled to establish the Rugby Academy at PIASAWC, as it fits our philosophy of developing individuals and teams in order to enhance their performance through a myriad sports services,” said Panton.

Ball's out! A shot from the ever-popular Phuket Rugby 10s, which attracts teams from around the world. Photo © Alasdair Forbes.

Cotter, who was instrumental in bringing the two sides together, said, “It’s fantastic for Phuket, the PIA, the NZRR and sport in general on the island, and I think Klaus Hebben has done a brilliant job in getting this all started, and has set a superb example of how education and sports should be tackled on the island.”

The Thai Rugby Union, too, has applauded the deal. Its secretary, Adisak Hemyoo, remarked, “The Thai Rugby Union is pleased to support and sanction rugby at Phuket International Academy as well as any tournaments that may occur there.”

PIASAWC, currently under development near the foothills of Phuket’s Khao Phra Taeo national park, on the east side of Phuket island, will provide a range of international-standard sports facilities for both the local community and for visiting international athletes, both professional and amateur.

These facilities will include an International Rugby Board-approved pitch, and Olympic competition pool, futsal and basketball courts and a boutique hotel for visiting athletes.

Youth involvement: Players from the Baan Sainamyen Municipal School take a breather during their match in the Rugby 10s. Photo courtesy Patrick Cotter.

For its part, NZRR will provide training courses covering rugby skills, sports science, physical conditioning, game sense, skill analysis and the role of the coach, and development of rugby in the community.

NZRR acts as a conduit between those who want to learn rugby and some of the top rugby players and coaches in New Zealand, plus the latest technology and training methods.

Phuket rugby scores a big one is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Okay, so you're unlikely to be shooting the tube in Phuket (this shot was taken in Oahu) but there are plenty of challenging waves.

For those who like their exercise wet, mid-June sees the inaugural Thailand Surf Series, from June 12 to 14 in the sea off Kalim Beach. Up to now, Thailand has not been exactly first choice for surfers – Bali holds that crown in Asia – but competitions have been held for several years, with proponents stressing that although Phuket doesn’t have the spectacular waves, there’s still plenty of skill required to get it right.

The series has the backing of Quiksilver, and followed a visit to Phuket by Bali-based Aussie pro surfer Jake “the Snake” Paterson, winner of such events as the 1996 and 2002 WQS Tour, the 1998 Pipeline Masters, and at Jeffrey’s Bay South Africa in 2000 and 2001. In 2003 he won the Rip Curl Cup at Sunset Beach.

There will be two more rounds, the “King of the Jungle” round in mid-August at Kamala Beach and the “Island Crown” round in early September at Kata Beach. The events are open to all. See www.thaisurfseries.com for more information.

For details, see the website here or contact the organiser.

Surfers head for Phuket is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.