The Vientiane floorball team at the 2023 Bangkok Floorball Tournament earlier this month.

Vientiane floorball team scores high at Bangkok Floorball Tournament

The Vientiane floorball team participated as the only team from Laos at the 2023 Bangkok Floorball Tournament recently.
Held annually in Bangkok, this year’s tournament hosted 10 teams from across South East Asia in a battle of speed, skills, tactics, and physical prowess. The Vientiane floorball team were returning for the second year as fan favourites for this year’s tournament and finished second in their group, behind the eventual champion club from Rayong, Thailand.
“This was another great year for the Vientiane team” said team president, Garrett Young. “We are proud of our effort and our Lao players. We are also thankful to our sponsors ACC Insurance, CK Travel, and Laolive. Their support allowed us to sponsor players to attend this international event, and to continue to grow the game of floorball in the community.”
The Vientiane floorball team finished second in their division ahead of teams from Singapore and Bangkok, and fourth overall in the tournament after a narrow defeat against the Hua Hin Vikings on November 5. The team will return next year with eyes on a podium finish.
Floorball is a type of floor hockey that was invented in Sweden in the 1960s and is popular in many northern European countries. It has been featured in the South East Asian games since 2015, though Laos has not yet entered a team into the regional competition. The sport is organised internationally by the International Floorball Federation (IFF).
As of 2019, there were about 377,000 registered floorball players worldwide.
Floorball was brought to Laos by Finnish expats in 2004 and has gained a small but dedicated following. The Vientiane Floorball Club meets once a week to practise and play friendly matches. The club is proud to have a number of Lao players as regular players and sponsors these players to attend international tournaments. Club Director of Communications, David Ormsby, says “Weekly games are free for Lao nationals, and inexpensive for our international members.”
“We encourage anyone who is interested in learning more about the sport to come along and join in. It’s a great sport that is very easy to learn, and supported by a great community of both local and international players. Please follow our Facebook page ‘Floorball Vientiane Laos’ to find out more!” The Vientiane Floorball Club is sponsored by the ASEAN Contact Center, CK Travel, and Laolive. Their generous support of the club allows local players to attend international tournaments, such as the 2023 Bangkok Floorball Tournament.

By Advertorial Desk
 (Latest Update November 20, 2023)