Thai Buddhist monks triumph in e-sports event as some fans criticise winners for wearing orange robes
- Novice monks from the Balee Sathit Suksa school emerge victorious in the Speed Drifter competition at the KKU Nong Khai Fair
- Chief monk defends his boys, saying they were given a chance to compete against other students and made the most of it
They abstain from stealing, lying and even singing and dancing, but when it comes to e-sports, the novice Buddhist monks from Thailand’s Balee Sathit Suksa school are champions.
Three young monks emerged victorious at the 2019 KKU Nong Khai Fair in the online racing game Speed Drifters, earning plaudits and criticism for wearing their orange robes during the competition at the Khon Kaen University Nong Khai campus in north east Thailand.
“The novices wanted to try entering the competition, so we gave them that opportunity. We didn’t expect to actually win,” Kokkiad Chaisamchareonlap, an academic coordinator and monk at the school, was quoted as saying by Coconuts Bangkok.
The tournament featured academic and e-sports events and received plenty of media coverage in Thailand, though not everyone was happy for the boys.
Some social media users said the monks went too far by wearing their robes, turning a competition into a religious statement.
Wrote @ParnkungTH: “Normally I don’t have much to do with religion, but I personally don’t think that’s right. It’s not illegal, nor anything serious but they should not wear yellow. They are only novice monks.”