– Olympic Prayer Initiative

Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand, formerly known as Siam, is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Burma, , Cambodia, and .

The country is a constitutional monarchy, headed by King Rama 9th, ( Rama means king), the ninth king of the House of Chakri, who, having reigned since 1946, is the world's longest-serving head of state, (Our own Queen is the second longest serving monarch), and he is also the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history. The king of Thailand holds the titles of: Head of State, Head of the Armed Forces, the Upholder of the Buddhist religion, and the Defender of all Faiths.

Thailand is the world's 51st-largest country, and is the 20th-most-populated country, with around 64 million people. The capital and largest city is , which is Thailand's political, commercial, industrial and cultural hub. About 75% of the population is ethnically Thai, 14% is of Chinese origin, and 3% is ethnically Malay; the rest belong to minority groups including Mons, Khmers and various hill tribes. The country's official language is Thai. The primary religion is Buddhism, which is practiced by around 95% of the population.

Muslims are the second largest religious group in Thailand at 4.6%. Thailand's southernmost provinces – Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and part of Songkhla have dominant Muslim populations, consisting of both ethnic Thai and Malay. Christians represent 0.7% of the population. A small community of Sikhs and some Hindus also live in the country's cities. There is also a small Jewish community in Thailand, dating back to the 17th century.

Christians are mainly concentrated more heavily in the North, where they make up an estimated 10% of some lowland districts (e.g., and and higher percentages are found in tribal districts, like the Karen (in, Mae Sariang and Mae Hong Son). (Considered by the first missionaries to be one of the lost 12 tribes of Israel).

Thailand’s historical beginnings were heavily influenced by the culture and religions of India around the 1st century to the Khmer Empire, (Modern day Cambodia.) After the fall of the Khmer Empire in the 13th century, the first Thai or Siamese state is considered to be the Buddhist kingdom of Sukhothai.

Following the decline of the Khmer empire between the 13th to the 15th century, Ayutthaya became the dominant kingdom, established in the mid-14th century in the lower Chao Phraya River basin. European traders arrived in the 16th century, beginning with the Portuguese and then followed by the French, Dutch and English.

After the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, King Taksin the Great (Rama 1) moved the capital of Thailand and established Bangkok as the current capital of the Chakri dynasty.

In 1861, King Mongkut (Rama 4), sought a British lady to be governess to the royal children, including the young Prince Chulalongkorn (the future Rama 5). From Singapore an English lady, Anna Leonowens, took up this position, with her young son. Inspiring the future Hollywood stories such as: The King and I and Anna and the King. Her son’s Company Loui T Leonowens is still in business in Bangkok today. During World War II, the country became infamous as the place where 60,000 Allied POWs worked on the Thailand–Burma Death Railway. Currently the country does experience periodic political unrest with a recent coup d'état, in 2006, but the last couple have been bloodless affairs.

Despite European pressure, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian nation that has never been colonized.

We can all remember the Tsunami of Boxing Day, 2004 which hit southeastern Asian nations, culminating in much flooding, great upheaval and devastating loss of life including the death of King Bhumipol Adulyadej (Rama 9) grandson.

Thailand will be competing in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Thailand’s Olympic Committee was first recognized in Denmark on May 15, 1950. His Majesty King Bhumipol Adulyadej granted his Royal Patronage, on December 26, 1949.

The first Olympics that Thailand took part in were in 1952. In the 21st Century, Thailand specializes in boxing and weightlifting, and has achieved considerable medal success in these disciplines. After the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Thailand was ranked 31st, winning the Gold in Boxing and Weightlifting, and silver in Taekwondo and Boxing.

Indeed, Judy Cook, a BMS Missionary in the north of Thailand in Chiang Mai, that both David & Josie and ourselves know very well has said “Enjoy the Olympics – I expect here on Thai TV we will have mostly boxing! but you never know!” Certainly Boxing is a much loved sport in Thailand; Adam has been to a couple of Thai Boxing matches in Hua Hin.

Here are the Thai competitors and their chosen sports:

15 Sports with 38 competitors

Archery 1 Cycling 1 Shooting 4

Athletics 2 Equestrian 1 Swimming 2

Badminton 6 Judo 1 Table Tennis 2

Boxing 3 Rowing 1 Taekwondo 3

Canoeing 1 Sailing 3 Weightlifting 7

5mins 55 seconds.

To Close with Prayer about Olympics and the Thai competitors: