BANGKOK: Queen Suthida led Thailand’s ice hockey team to a draw in a friendly match with the Chinese national team on Sunday (Oct 6) night.
The match was held at the Thailand International Ice Hockey Arena in Bangkok’s Huai Kwang district.
The friendly match was held to mark the King’s 72nd birthday and to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The aim of the match was also to tighten bilateral ties.
Upon arriving at the arena at 6.26pm, the Queen first granted audience to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong, Chinese ambassador Han Zhiqiang and Konsak Yodmanee, the governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand, before joining the team.
The Queen who is the first woman global ambassador for the International Ice Hockey Federation, led the Thai team in the three sets of the friendly match, which kicked off at 7.34pm.
She scored the first shot and the first set ended with Thailand winning by 6:2.The second set was a fierce fight, ending with China winning with a score of 4:3. The third set, however, equalised at 6:6. - The Nation/ANN