The “Rawai-Phuket Open 2022” is scheduled to take place at a specially constructed arena at Rawai beach, Rawai Subdistrict Mayor Aroon Solos confirmed.
The competition is being organised by the Rawai Subdistrict Municipality and the Rawai Woodball Sports Committee as part of development plans to raise the profile of the sport in Phuket and attract more participants.
A similar tournament was held in Patong when the “Woodball Thailand Championship” was held on April 22, inaugurated by the President of the Phuket Sports Association Thammawat Wongcharoenyot. The objective of the Patong tournament was to not only grow the popularity of the sport but also to help boost tourism, revitalise the local economy and promote a healthier, more active lifestyle among local residents.
It is hoped the Rawai tournament next weekend will prove similarly successful in achieveing the same objectives.
“Woodball is a very popular sport nationally in Thailand,” said Mr Aroon. “It is hoped that this competition, which will be held annually, can help develop the popularity of the sports locally and increase numbers of those participating. Our goal is to develop the standard of the sport to be able to compete at national level,” he added.
Mr Aroon further explained that Woodball is accessible to all age groups and is therefore an effective sport to encourage participation which can lead to a healthier lifestyle with improved mental and physical health among local residents.
“It is not a sport limited by age or fitness levels,” he explained. “We therefore look forward to welcoming participants of all ages, from youngsters to the elderly.”
Woodball is similar to croquet whereby a mallet is used to knock a hard wooden ball through designated gates. It can be played on grass, sand or indoors and the objective, similar to golf, is to achieve the lowest score using the least possible number of strokes.
It was incorporated as a sport into the program of the Asian Beach Games in 2008 and is gaining popularity across the entire Asia region. The International Woodball Federation is based in Taipei, Taiwan.
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