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Soccer brings regional partners together in Bangkok [1]

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Date: 2023-07-07  

By Eiampichairit “Pinky” Chompoonuj and Russell Phillips

Nearly 600 players, supporters, friends, and family members from U.S. embassies and consulates in Bangkok, Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Rangoon, Vientiane, Chiang Mai, and Ho Chi Minh City came together for the 13th Mekong Friendship Soccer Tournament, Feb. 19. Hosted this year by Embassy Bangkok, both locally employed (LE) staff and Americans from the region joined for fun and camaraderie. While teams embraced friendship, as well as the diversity of cultures represented, they did not lose their competitive edge. In the end, Embassy Phnom Penh was again crowned champion, having also won last year’s cup.

Despite soaring temperatures, Mission Thailand’s Locally Employed Staff Association also organized a co-ed tug-of-war game for supporters in a test of strength and teamwork. In a show of determination and grit, Embassy Vientiane reigned victorious.

As evening temperatures dropped, competition gave way to celebration and teams joined hands through the sharing of food and cultural performances by members of each post’s LE staff. Though not professionals, these local talents dazzled the audience with their dances, providing entertainment and inspiration.

The tournament’s roots date back to 2007 when local staff from Embassies Bangkok and Vientiane sought to connect for networking. The collaborative bug spread, and soon other posts joined and rotated to host the annual soccer tournament. Now attended by everyone from guards to ambassadors, the tournament attracts participants from diverse backgrounds, abilities, and cultures. Planted in the soil of sport, the tournament continues to produce the fruit of unity.

Eiampichairit “Pinky” Chompoonuj is the nonimmigrant visas locally employed staff manager and Russell Phillips is the staff assistant at Embassy Bangkok.

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[1] Url: https://statemag.state.gov/2023/07/0723itn03/

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