King Bhumibol’s gold medal for sailing commemorated on National Sports Day
On this day 55 years ago, the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great (Rama IX) won a gold medal for sailing in the 4th South East Asia Peninsular (SEAP) Games, now called the SEA Games.
HM King Bhumibol was racing the “Navarerk” (No. 27), an OK Dinghy he built himself. His eldest daughter, HM Princess Ubolratana, was sailing Dinghy No. 18, which the late king also built. They tied for first place in the OK Dinghy division and shared a gold medal, which was presented to them by HM Queen Sirikit.
In 1989, the government commemorated this historic event by naming December 16 as National Sports Day.
