BANGKOK — 8 June 2026, Outrage grows as a foreign athlete has assaulted a Thai referee during the Bangkok Fly Ice Hockey Tournament 2026 at the Thailand International Ice Hockey Arena (TIIHA) on Rama 9 Road, Bangkok, on Friday at 23:00, during an Under-14 Division B match between Anesthetist and A/B Hockey.
The athlete who allegedly committed the act of violence against the referee is a 14-year-old Chinese national from Chengdu, China. The youth exhibited violent behavior toward the Thai referee, identified as “Coach Ang,” Sgt. Teerasak Rattanachot, a former member of Thailand’s men’s national ice hockey team and coach who was officiating the match.
In the final conclusion, the tournament’s organizing committee, led by “Coach Phung,” Nuchanart Ponglerkdee, Tournament Organiser of the Bangkok Fly Ice Hockey Tournament 2026, penalized the player by disqualifying the Anesthetist team from competing in its two remaining tournament matches. The team has since returned to China.
As for jersey number 77 of China’s Anesthetist team, the athlete was identified as Venom Liu, a 14-year-old forward born on January 16, 2012. Furthermore, Liu was also listed as the player for the Wuhan Dragons in the Under-14 A division, a higher competitive level.
According to a parent of a player from the Young Ducks Under-12 team, the incident occurred near the end of the match. At that moment, China’s player number 77 committed a foul and was dissatisfied with the referee’s call.
A parent revealed that the player then reacted by chest-bumping the referee, which resulted in his ejection from the game by the referee because it is against the rules. As he was leaving the ice, he allegedly shoved the referee again before taking an opening to punch him.
A parent further stated that in his view, the referee made the correct decision because it was clearly a foul. The player may have been frustrated because his team was scoring very few points and trailing far behind their opponents. Additionally, the 14-year-old athlete was the team’s key player and the only one scoring points.
“In truth, ice hockey involves a certain amount of physical contact and friction. However, all players generally respect and obey the referee. If they are penalized for a foul and feel dissatisfied, they might question the referee, but once they get an explanation, they accept the punishment and go sit in the Penalty Box for two minutes. From all the ice hockey matches I have ever watched; I have never seen this kind of altercation or physical assault against a referee before. At most, players there might be question calls or some complains, but no one has ever dared to confront or physically assault the referee,” he said.
A parent continued that an inident like this should never happen in any sport, not just ice hockey. Children need to learn better emotional control. At 14 years old, he might be at an age where hormones are surging, but having been involved in ice hockey for a long time, he should already be able to control their emotions much better. Furthermore, the coaching staff should have done a better job of restraining the boy.
A parent also criticised, “During that match, the player’s parent even entered the playing area and pointed their finger in the referee’s face, which was inappropriate behavior. As for the organizing committee, this incident unfolded so rapidly that everyone was caught off guard; no one expected it to happen. However, they should have done more to prevent parents from entering the rink. An incident like this should not take place.”
