BIS HCMC students compete internationally in multiple sports at the FOBISIA Games in Thailand

All of our students take part in trials across all sports before the final teams are selected and then the real fun begins, months of training, before they finally board the flight to Thailand.

Our students train hard and play hard! After being selected for the team, they have to demonstrate commitment to their training in each sport, showing up for each training session, before and after school, and often as early as 6:30am in the morning! We could not be prouder of our students for the true dedication, perseverance and teamwork given by our students at every training session, and it’s this commitment to training that reaps the awards, and the enjoyment and they incredible experience they have, at the FOBISIA Games themselves.

They are of course supported by all of our fantastic team of PE staff who are also fully committed to training, supporting and encouraging each and every student.  They provide them with the skills and experience they need, improve their overall fitness and encourage them to show sportsmanship throughout every sport they play.  A special mention to Mr Ali Thom who led the U15 team this year, Mr Matthew O’Brien who led the U13 team, Ms Ann Harvey who led the U11 team and Mr Iain Colley, our Director of Sport. 

Throughout the Games each sport in each team has a male and female student captain, an expert in their chosen sport to support and provide encouragement to their teammates throughout the day. The captains also provide a write up of the day’s games to share with their teammates, the school and parents back at home.  This also provides them with excellent leadership opportunities and development of writing skills. 

Here, alongside updates from our PE staff Squad Leaders, we will focus on some of these student captain daily write ups capturing their experience of taking part in the FOBISIA games in our athletes own words. 

Under 11’s: Triumph in Thailand

In a display of extraordinary talent and determination, forty young athletes from BIS made their mark at the U11 FOBISIA Games in June 2024. The event, renowned for its competitive spirit and camaraderie, saw these children excel across, swimming, T-ball, football and athletics.   

On the track and field, the athletics team exhibited exemplary performances that captivated audiences and rivals alike. From sprints to relays, long jumps to javelin throws, each athlete pushed their limits to achieve personal bests and contribute to the team's overall success. The medals they earned were not just symbols of athletic achievement but also testament to their hard work, dedication, and the invaluable support of their coaches and teammates. 

In another thrilling chapter of the competition, the T-ball teams left an indelible mark with their exceptional skills and strategic gameplay. Combining agility, precision, and tactical prowess, these young athletes navigated through intense matches with grace and determination. Their efforts culminated in a well-deserved place on the podium, bringing home accolades that spoke volumes about their commitment to excellence and sportsmanship. 

For football and swimming summaries we now handover to our student captains. 

Girls Football 

Written by Kimberley 

Everyone took part in the matches and as an outcome the team got an incredible fourth place.  It was the last day and everyone was drained but I saw every single person doing their best, cheering each other and playing really good football! In the first game against Kellet, a tough opponent to play against we still got to draw 1-1. Bei Bei, shot the ball in but the goalie caught the ball, dropped it and Jiho shot it in.  The second and third were even tougher.  Both teams were amazing but we tried our very best and that is already good enough.  The last match was our best against BSJ.  In the first part, Emma kicked an incredible corner and shot it right into the goal! The second half was tiring but again Emma shot another incredible goal at the very last minute! The entire time, everyone was doing super football, supporting each other and I’m very proud of everyone’s hard work. 

Boys Football 

Written by Andrew 

Our boys football team did very well, losing 3 games and tying 2.  Everyone was trying their hardest either stopping shots or scoring points for our team and we had multiple players on bench chanting and support from parents. I still think we did awesome and had a lot of fun.  The 2 MVP’s of the game would be Raoul and Sean.  Raoul was a brilliant striker scoring most of the goals and not being afraid.  Sean was our goalkeeper with an iron face saving around 10 shots with his face and keeping the ball out of dire situations.  Overall we had a great time playing, had a lot of fun, and most importantly we were still standing and didn’t break down to our loss.  I would like to thank Mr Iain for constantly telling us what to do and motivating us when we were down by a few points. 

Swimming 

Written by Raoul and Jiho 

This year in swimming BIS HCMC came first over all the 6 schools competing. We did amazing and won most of the races we participated in with lots of individual medals and every single relay team got first. Swimming was the first day, everyone could be tired after athletics (in the morning) but everyone started with full energy   I saw every single person in their race trying their best and the vibe was great.  For many it was probably their first big swimming competition and yet, they smashed it. The best part was that everyone cheered for others when they did their races. I saw many swimmers cheering up the others saying, ‘even though you didn’t get a medal, if you tried your best, it was worth it!’  To improve even more I think we should practice more on dives, turns and touches.  This time the difference between first and second was only two points, but I hope that we could win by miles in 2025 FOBISIA GAMES. 

Ms Ann Harvey, Primary PE Teacher and U11 Squad Leader said "Beyond the medals and podium finishes, the journey of these young athletes in Thailand was a testament to resilience, sportsmanship, and the spirit of friendly competition. They embodied the values of teamwork, discipline, and perseverance—qualities that extend far beyond the realm of sports and into their everyday lives and academic pursuits" 

Under 13’s: Largest ever U13 FOBISIA squad

Our Year 7 and Year 8 students began their U13 FOBISIA journey with the first trials in November 2023. A record number of students attended those trials with an eventual squad of 32 being chosen, 17 girls and 15 boys. This was the largest ever BIS squad to make the trip to Thailand which is a testament to the quality displayed during the trials, and the largest number of girls in any squad we competed against. Following on from the trials our students took part in 4 months of rigorous training. 

The level of competition was high across athletics, swimming, basketball and football but our athletes showed an incredible amount of skill, determination and perseverance. Two of the schools we competed against included our own Nord Anglia Education sister schools, St Andrews International School Bangkok and Dovercourt International School in Singapore! 

They brought home an incredible 58 medals in swimming and athletics: 18 Golds, 20 Silvers and 20 Bronzes. Alongside overall first place in swimming, 2nd place in boys football and 3rd place in boys basketball. 

Day One- Travel 

Written by Hung and Luken 

We met at school bright and early eagerly awaiting our trip.  After arriving at the airport, we, checked in and went through immigration, all very fast. All the students were excited to see who they were going to be sitting with on the plane. We then went to the lounge before boarding the plane and flying to Bangkok.  

After we arrived at the airport we took a 30 minute bus ride to eat lunch. Then we got back on the bus and took another 30 minute ride to go to the hotel. The place is really big and nice. We went to dinner and got to know a lot about the other teams and many of their players. It was very chaotic however it was also really fun. The food was good and we also got to celebrate a team member's birthday, Kei.  

Day Two Morning - Athletics 

Written by Danyal and Leonie 

What an amazing first day from our BIS athletes! We woke up so early at 5:45 am. All of us arrived at the track at 7:30, with a bright morning and a big day ahead of us. The athletic captains then led a warmup with a jog around the 400-metre track. We went through our team talk and got ready for our first race, the 1500m. We then had the 800m, the 200m and also the 100m. During all those races we tried our best, getting on the podium for some.  

At 11:00am we got ready for discus, shot put, javelin, long jump and triple jump. The highlight of the medals in this category included Miki having the 2nd longest throw, and Minh Quan getting 2nd for high jump with a staggering jump of 1.3 metres. We finished athletics with an amazing 23 medals! After everything, we got back to the hotel to prepare for swimming.  

Day Two Afternoon - Swimming 

Written by Myla and Siu 

Everyone did extremely well and there was so much support from everyone, encouraging the swimmers to go faster and win. We had plenty of medals, many golds, and so many personal bests.  Everyone that competed or even there to support us has done an extraordinary job. In total, we had 40 events and 35 medals. Some of our key swimmers were: Siu, Byung Ha, Myla, Martha, Ana, Isabella, Wing Hei, Aoy and Benny. We should all be very proud of the effort we put in today, many of our swimmers have had event after event but still pushed through showing perseverance and resilience. We got medals in 88% of all races, 40% were gold, 30% were silver and 18% were bronze. In conclusion it was one of BIS’s most successful days in the pool at the FOBISIA games. 

Day 3 - Boys Basketball 

Written by BK and Hung 

Today the BIS boys basketball team started with a resounding win of 24-12 against Dover court, followed by a hard earned victory against BSJ with the score being 25-21. Our third game was the toughest one yet. We tried really hard, but although we were leading early we weren’t the eventual winners with a tough defeat of 16-33. After the harsh defeat everyone kept their head up coming into the last two games. We started off strong as always and remained strong and beat Kellet with a convincing win of 32-14. Coming into the last game, we had nothing to lose as we were already guaranteed a podium finish. We raised our heads high and fought with everything we had even down to the last minute being down 24-19 our players tried really hard to run up the scores but it was still not enough. Resulting in a 26-19 loss. At the end of the day, we accepted our podium finish of bronze and had no regrets. 

Day 3- Girls Basketball 

Written by Kaiko and Aoy 

Everyone did an outstanding job with the first match ending up with a win of 15 to 4 against Dover Court International School. Our second game had an exceptional performance from our legendary girls also finishing with a win. We managed to mercy the other team 21 nil. Although in our third match against St. Andrew’s Bangkok, we had one of the best defensive executions we played so far, we had a tough but breathtaking (literally) game ending with a 10 to 3 loss, the score does not truly reflect the quality of basketball shown. Even though we had a devastating loss the girls showed great character and grit by singing their way through lunch. After lunch, we played a thrilling game against Kellett Hong Kong which ended with an 8-7 loss. In the end, we played one of our toughest games against Taipei European School which concluded with a devastatingly close result of 18-24. To sum it up everyone tried their hardest, put their all into these matches, and fought hard. 

Day 4- Girls Football 

Written by Annabelle 

Overall, we can clearly say that the girls had a successful last day. Especially as FOBISIA was coming to an end, everyone made sure we went home proud. There were many great plays, for example, an amazing assist from a corner which got the team a karate chop goal and a free kick from the halfway line which got us another win. Even on the lines everyone was ready, cheering their team, looking after each other, and most importantly we all were very supportive. Although it's clear everyone was tired from having athletic events, swimming and basketball, the team made sure they did not drop their energy during their matches. 

Day 4- Boys Football 

Written by Ethan  

Today was one of the best performing days for the boys due to placing 2nd in the top group of high-performing athletes. We didn't start well due to a draw with Saint Andrews Bangkok, but we bounced back and won our next 2 games. We then let our guard down as we got too complacent and went into the game thinking we already won so we drew again. We were now in a risky place, if we lost, we would place 4th but if we won we would place 2nd. BIS tried their very best and scored a goal in the late 2nd half. We then defended excellently and placed 2nd in the tournament. 

Our Secondary PE Teacher and U13 FOBISIA Squad Leader, Mr O’Brien, said “They gave everything they had, worked incredibly hard and never gave up. Their medal tally is incredibly impressive but what was most impressive was their attitude throughout the games and their constant displays of sportsmanship. Everyone in the PE Department is very proud of them”

Under 15’s: Stepping up for themselves and their team

In November 2023 we took 25 students from Years 9 and 10 to compete in the Games in athletics, basketball, football and swimming. Our athletes were phenomenal, starting Day 1 with 32 medals on the track and field and another 23 in the pool. Day 2 saw a very high standard of basketball on display with tremendous efforts and many smiles and long-lasting memories made. The football tournaments on Day 3 were as always very close, with tired legs amongst all teams. The effort, attitude and skill levels from our BIS athletes were outstanding and enhanced what we saw from our athletes over all 3 days of competition.

Mr Ali Thom said ‘Amongst the success headlines this does not tell the whole story or how we judge success.  All students whether they placed first or last, had a fantastic game or persevered through, stepped up when needed to challenge themselves and fight for their team. Just as importantly when not competing they cheered and encouraged their teammates to success and picked each other up when there were challenges.  We as staff are full of respect for them and they should be enormously proud of themselves, not only as athletes but also as people.” 

Read more about the Under 15 games in Thailand in November 2023 here. 

Congratulations again to all our athletes on your incredible performance and outstanding contribution to sport at BIS HCMC, and to our student captains for sharing your experiences. Thank you to our entire PE department for training, supporting and giving our students the skills and confidence to become such incredible athletes who show incredible sportsmanship on and off the field. 

We look forward to another year of FOBISIA Games in 2024/2025!