Two of Thailand's most skilled physically challenged sailors are about to make their debut at the 2018 Para World Sailing Championships in the US, fiercely determined to make the country proud.
The duo include Suraphong Chitkhong and Paisal Pa-teh, both from Pattaya, will be in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, to first participate in a pre-event sailing clinic before competing at the World Championships from Sept 18–22.
The global event has attracted 125 sailors from 36 countries.
Thai sailors Suraphong Chitkhong, left, and Paisal Pa-teh, right, flank Narong Rattanasopa as they depart Suvarnabhumi Airport for the 2018 Para World Sailing Championships in the US. photo courtesy of Disabled Sailing Thailand
Commenting on the occasion was Peter Jacops, founder of Disabled Sailing Thailand, who has put in hundreds of hours of hard work into supporting disabled sailors, remarked that this was an auspicious moment for sailing in Thailand.
"Never before has Thailand sent sailors to the Para World Sailing Championships and Disabled Sailing Thailand are very proud to be doing so this year. Our Thai sailors have been undergoing training with coaches at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club in Pattaya and while these are still very early days for Para Sailing in Thailand, the clinic before the worlds is an excellent opportunity for our Thai sailors to learn more and the world championships will be an experience never to be forgotten I'm sure.''
The Belgian noted that three years ago the International Paralympic Committee dropped sailing from the 2020 Paralympics and it was this decision that led to the establishment of Disabled Sailing Thailand with the objective to make the discipline more accessible for people with disabilities and ultimately to support the reintroduction of sailing to the Paralympics.
A veteran yacht surveyor by profession, he said that his team had been working closely with World Sailing, the sport's world governing body, who backed their endeavour to send sailors from Thailand to this year's World Championships.
He is hopeful this global event will inspire others who wish to try sailing to show interest in the future.
Jacops has come a long way from the time he began recruiting potential sailors to build a Thai team a couple of years ago.
One of the first activities involved taking 85 disabled students from the Father Ray Foundation for an excursion on five sailing charter yachts in order to gauge their interest in sailing.
Needless to say, the activity was a smashing success. After the selection period, they had 35 potential candidates. And the rest is history.
Follow the Thai athletes' progress on the Disabled Sailing Thailand facebook page facebook.com/sailingwithoutlimits.
