Pattaya Sports Club has built up a, well deserved, reputation donating funds to help the handicapped and underprivileged people of Pattaya and surrounding areas.
But that is only part of the story.
Pattaya Sports Club has, for many years, been supporting and donating funds to provide children with the opportunity to participate in sports of all kinds. Whether it is the Blind School, Mercy Pattaya, CPDC or schools in the area, PSC has been only too happy to provide the equipment and facilities they need. Without the opportunity to play, whatever sport it may be, the joy of making new friends, the exercise and, who knows, a potential world class player may remain undiscovered as evidenced recently in badminton.
Junior badminton doubles final.
For the last ten years, PSC has donated funds to support the National Badminton Championships at the YWCA centre in Chonburi. 500 children from all over Thailand enter the competition and the standard of play, even for the under 13 year olds, is amazing and it is exhausting, but a pleasure, just watching the speed and agility of the children.
But in 2009 a young Thai lady, Ratchanok Intamon, not only won the ladies tournament, for the third time, but had excelled to the point where she became World Junior Champion and then delighted everyone by retaining this title for the next 2 years. She is now too old at nearly 18 years to be able to defend this trophy but she did reach the quarter finals at the London Olympics, losing to the world’s No. 2, and is now rated at No. 10 in the world. With a little encouragement, the facilities and equipment to participate, perhaps this feat can be repeated by other Thai children.
But the story continues for when PSC was asked to support the second National Table Tennis Championship held at school No. 7, there was no hesitation to contribute and join forces with Rotary Pattaya and City Hall. 700 children from all over Thailand came to Pattaya to enter the competition. As you can imagine, organising an event of this magnitude is mind boggling but the Rotary had many volunteers and everything went smoothly.
The winners and tournament organizers pose for a group photo.
The Rotary District Governor Khun Thatree together with the Deputy Mayor Khun Wattana was in attendance to open this big tournament.
As in badminton, the standard set by all age groups was incredible and on final day, the audience sat spellbound watching the recovery and drop shots of all the competitors.
By giving children the opportunity to discover where their sporting talents lie, the Pattaya Sports Club is fulfilling the second objective in its constitution, to promote sport among the young.
