“The Men’s basketball team celebrate their tournament win following the final buzzer” By Orathai Keeratimahatm, 2022.
Stemming from the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has been accredited for the array of obstacles placed throughout our lives. An avenue which has been largely hindered, was the world of athletics; specifically, high school athletics. Due to the unfortunate nature of sports, the resumption of play during the midst of the pandemic had to take a backseat. Now, as the world begins to transition towards living with COVID, high school athletics has been making a fierce comeback.
"The ISB Panther Mens basketball team sporting face masks, taken during the Pandemic." By Orathai Keeratimahatm, 2022.
The Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools (IASAS) is a conference consisting of both sporting and art events. Seasonal competitions between the six member schools take place periodically, with the location alternating each year. The most recent edition of IASAS took place in the February of 2020, where season two athletes took to the fields and courts for unknowingly the last time. Now, as international travel remains increasingly complicated, member schools have begun to fabricate their own competitions attempting to replicate the IASAS conference.
The Battle of Bangkok, a sporting event organized by four schools across the city took place on the 11th of February, 2022, where season two athletes battled it out to crown the winner of the tournament. With the basketball segment of the tournament taking place at our own, International School of Bangkok (ISB), athletic coordinators took a crack at their best recreation of the IASAS experience. Although no international schools were present, “The Battle of Bangkok was the best that we were able to achieve in February 2022,” quoted Chris Mott, the athletic director at the International School of Bangkok.
Logistics: How was the tournament organized through a Pandemic?
The resumption of athletics at the high school level required strict protocols to be adhered to in order for the events to get underway. Firstly, only an exclusive number of international schools in the Bangkok metropolitan area were permitted to participate in the tournament. Confidence to commence the intramural competition stemmed from the requirement of participating international schools to undertake biweekly Rapid Antigen Tests (ATK), in order to gain access to the campuses. Identifying schools which met the criteria for participation was a large challenge by itself (Mott, 2/22). Rigid mask wearing throughout the competition was also obligatory for all visiting athletes. Unless on the basketball floor, all those (including athletes on the bench and coaches), were required to be sporting face masks. Those moving around the campus were encouraged to follow social distancing conventions with frequent sanitizing of common areas. Additionally, Fist-bumps replaced traditional hand shakes throughout post game formalities. Limiting the crowds entering the sport hall was also a challenge, and required a number of chaperones to proctor the event (Jaspers 2/22).
How did the absence of food impacted the event?
Traditional IASAS events called for the presence of food vendors, who lined up outside the sports hall catering to the craving athletes, and eager fans. However, due to the disallowance of eating due to the removal of masks, food had to be limited to the cafeteria area. This was supplemented by a large screen television placed in the canteen, which broadcasted the live feed from games, so fans could still enjoy their food whilst spectating the action (Mott 2/22).
What made a return this year?
With the absence of sporting events for a long period of time, the student body was eager to uncover whether the Battle of Bangkok would deliver a comparable experience to IASAS. Listed below are aspects of the past, which made a comeback.
- Fans are finally back in the building! With the recent allowance of spectators at indoor sporting events, students, faculty and supporters packed the Rajendra hall, in support of the panther basketball team. Immediately, the atmosphere in the air seemed avidly familiar. With the drums banging, and supporters chanting (through face masks), the buzz in the air was truly elevated. With 16 games taking place throughout the day, arenas were sure to be filled to the brim with anxious fans who were deprived of action for two years.
- Events taking place during school hours. IASAS events could never be complete without the notion of leaving classes to come watch the event, so for the utmost experience, the tournament was held during a school day, allowing for the attendance of students. Eager spectators poured into the hall, showing their patriotism for the panthers, whilst simultaneously receiving a free get-out-of-class card. Academic endeavors were able to take a backseat during this eventful day.
- Multi-location event. During a traditional IASAS event week, each sport receives their own respective host location to allow for each member school to enjoy the action. This same structure was applied to the Battle of Bangkok event, with each sport tournament being held in an array of schools. With Rugby being hosted by the NIST international school, Tennis by the Bangkok Patana School (BPS), and basketball by ISB, athletes were given the opportunity to experience a similar format to IASAS.
Overall: How the revival of athletics is truly underway
With the past three years going down in the books as a profoundly pessimistic chapter in our lives, it is heartening to see the light at the end of the tunnel grow increasingly larger. Ironically, the Battle of Bangkok tournament symbolizes our battle with COVID seemingly victorious. Following years of canceled events, and minimal competition, the Battle of Bangkok provided athletes and fans with closure and hope for their high school athletic careers. The ability for spectators, mid-day competition, and travel assisted in replicating the genuine IASAS experience to all athletes involved.
With the culmination of the event, it is clear that we are well on our way to the resumption of life as we know it. As the world begins to transition towards living with COVID, it is clear that we are well on our way towards the rebirth of IASAS.
Work Cited
Keeratimahatm, Orathai. Mens Basketball. Bangkok, 11 Feb. 2022.
Mott, Chris. “Information about Battle of Bangkok.” 28 Feb. 2022.
Jaspers, Mark. “How B.O.B recreated IASAS.” 27 Feb. 2022.