When badminton stars Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai won gold at the 2021 BWF World Championships in Spain, Thailand was not able to fly the national flag. Instead, it had to settle for the Badminton Association of Thailand’s pennant.
This is because Thailand has been blacklisted by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) since October 7 for failing to adjust its “out-of-date” anti-doping law in line with the international 2021 Anti-Doping Code.
WADA prohibits the use of any substance or method that:
• Has the potential to enhance or enhances sports performance • Represents an actual or potential health risk to the athlete • Violates the spirit of sports
WADA also requires that Thailand’s National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADO) be independent. NADO currently comes under the jurisdiction of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT).
WADA gave Thailand 21 days to amend its anti-doping law but the process was too complicated to complete in time. Hence, it has been hit by the following penalties:
• Thailand can only hold international tournaments that it had been selected for before October 8, 2022. The country cannot offer to host any other international competitions, though this punishment does not include the Olympics or Paralympics.
• Thailand can fly its national flag at the Olympics, Paralympics, Winter Olympics and Youth Olympics. However, the Thai national flag cannot be flown at any other international sports competition. Uniforms worn by Thai athletes can still display the national flag or the word Thailand. Fans can also use the national flag to cheer Thai athletes.
Meanwhile, SAT is seeking permission from Thailand’s National Olympic Committee and Paralympic Committee to use their flags instead. In the meantime, SAT will call on sports associations to fly their own or SAT’s flag at international competitions.
Thailand expects to finish amending its law by February and believes the situation will return to normal by May.
However, WADA has warned that the punishment will last for at least one year and can be extended if the law is not amended.
Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal confirmed on Monday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 upon his arrival in Spain.
Nadal was back in his homeland after making his return from a foot injury in an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi last week.
“I want to announce that on my return home after playing the tournament in Abu Dhabi, I have tested positive for COVID-19 in a PCR test.”
“I am going through some unpleasant moments, but I am confident that I will improve bit by bit, I am currently confined in my home and I have told people who have been in contact with me about the result,” he wrote on social media, adding that the illness could affect his participation in future events.
“I have to have total flexibility with my calendar and I will look at my options depending on how I progress,” explained Nadal.
All Premier League and English Football League (EFL) holiday fixtures will go ahead despite the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.
The 20 Premier League teams met on Monday to discuss the fixtures after six games were postponed last weekend.
Later, Premier League announced that two rounds of its fixtures are in place across five days from December 26, while EFL clubs will play games “where it is safe to do so”.
Clubs have been advised to play if they have 13 available players including the goalkeeper.
The Premier League confirmed that health and wellbeing remain their top priority and will continue to monitor and reflect public health guidance with caution.
The league said 90 of the 12,345 tests conducted on players and staff from December 13 to 19 had come out positive. It also confirmed that 92 per cent of all players and staff have received at least one jab.
The league said it will continue working with clubs to encourage vaccination and will start releasing vaccination rates among players from January.
Meanwhile, FA Cup replays in rounds three and four have been cancelled. The result will be decided on the day, with extra time and penalties if necessary.
The EFL Cup is also planning to reduce semi-final ties to one-leg matches.
PTG affirmed the “well-being” of its shareholders and customers as it was listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand High Dividend 30 Index (SETHD).
PTG affirmed the “well-being” of its shareholders and customers as it was listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand High Dividend 30 Index (SETHD).
“PTG’s dividends have consistently exceeded the policy with a 70-per-cent net-profit share in the first half of 2021, which was 30 per cent more than the company had earlier announced,” the company said in a statement.
PTG Energy Public Company Limited president and CEO Pitak Ratchakitprakan said the company was ranked in the top 3 of SETHD in the first six months of the year. He said the SET listing emphasised the company’s policy to take care of the well-being of all sectors since it was listed on the stock market in 2013.
Though the pandemic has impacted the economy, the company continues to grow sustainably and pay dividends to its shareholders, the firm said.
In the first half of 2021, dividend was paid at THB0.50 per share, or at the rate of 70-80 per cent of net profit – 30 per cent more than the company had announced earlier, the statement added.
“PTG’s business strategy in 2022 will emphasise comprehensive care for all sectors. We will closely analyse the data of more than 17 million PT Max Card members. This data will be used to expand our non-oil businesses, including a financial business, to provide support for our customers and capital for SMEs, which is in line with PTG’s well-being policy,” Pitak added.
The Health Tech Thailand 2021 event has been held under the online exhibition platform from today until the end of December 2022 (12 months).
Recently, Ajinomoto Co., (Thailand) Ltd. participated in an online seminar at the Health Tech Thailand 2021 event on the topic of “Nutrition without compromise”, lectured by Ms.Jinta Chayaphiwut, as the company’s speaker. In the event, the company had demonstrated core expertise in amino acid technology that focuses on helping to improve the nutritional condition of Thai people through technology to reduce salt consumption, sugar consumption, and food development technology of plant-based meat, which all of these technologies have already been invented and delivered to consumers through our products. In this exhibition, Ajinomoto also participated as an online exhibitor with intentions and contributions to focus on nutrition and health of Thai consumers by adhering “The Ajinomoto Group Creating Shared Value (ASV)” policy as the global food company to create “Healthy Living Society”.
The Health Tech Thailand 2021 event has been held under the online exhibition platform from today until the end of December 2022 (12 months). Those who are interested in attending the exhibition and increasing opportunities to match business with other medical and health companies in the event can join via https://www.healthtech-thailand.com/virtual-exhibition
The MoU, which is also backed by the Bangladesh Container Ship Owner’s Association, will offer businesses a shorter and cheaper shipping route.
Thailand’s Ranong Port and Chittagong Port in Bangladesh signed a virtual memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Monday in a bid to enhance cooperation and promote sea freight.
The MoU, which is also backed by the Bangladesh Container Ship Owner’s Association, will offer businesses a shorter and cheaper shipping route.
The agreement will also help strengthen trade and investment under the cooperation framework between countries under the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec).
The MoU was also created to mark 50 years of diplomatic ties between Thailand and Bangladesh, which falls on October 5, 2022. The two countries are also discussing a free trade agreement.
Present at the virtual meeting were officials from the Port Authority of Thailand and diplomats from both sides serving as witnesses.
In 2022, Cortina celebrates 50 years of fine watch retail across Asia with a series of golden jubilee special editions and planned expansion into new markets.
In 2022, Cortina celebrates 50 years of fine watch retail across Asia with a series of golden jubilee special editions and planned expansion into new markets.
Cortina was founded in 1972 with the aim of sharing its founder’s appreciation of fine watchmaking heritage across Singapore. Starting with a single retail store in Colombo Court, it has since grown into a multi-national company spanning East and Southeast Asia, and more recently, Australia.
To celebrate its golden jubilee, the retailer is introducing several special edition timepieces with longstanding partners including Patek Philippe, Chopard, Corum, Franck Muller, H. Moser & Cie., TAG Heuer and Blancpain. These limited edition references will be introduced over the entire year, with the first launching in February 2022. Details of each watch will be shared on its digital platforms as well as a dedicated microsite
The brand’s journey to become one of the most influential watch retailers in the region has been one of steady growth. Today, Cortina has holdings in mature watch markets such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong, as well as new and developing markets in Asia-Pacific .
50 Years of Strong Partnerships
As one of the leading retailers in the region, Cortina Watch has supported and built longstanding partnerships with watchmakers brands such as Blancpain, Breguet, Breitling, Bvlgari, Cartier, Chopard, Corum, Longines, Omega, Patek Philippe, Rolex, TAG Heuer, Tudor, Zenith and many more.
It also acts as a distributor for many boutique watch brands such as H. Moser & Cie. and Hautlence in Asia. By bringing these novel brands to the region, it continues to spread the rich diversity and heritage of fine and high watchmaking to veteran and new collectors across these markets.
These partnerships have flourished through Cortina Watch’s continuous retail innovation. Over the years, it has developed sophisticated multi-brand retail spaces in exclusive locations, as well as concept stores and mono-brand boutiques to enrich the shopping experience for its customers. It is also one of the first major watch retailers in Singapore to offer an e-commerce platform, delivering a seamless experience for collectors.
Bringing New Experiences to Retail
Throughout Cortina Watch’s history, it has strived to bring new ways of experiencing and appreciating watchmaking to collectors and watch lovers. Thanks to its efforts, Singapore’s appetite for sophisticated timepieces as well as its knowledge and interest in horology has continued to grow, making it one of the most mature watch markets in the world.
To draw attention to some of the rare handcrafts frequently associated with watchmaking but rarely discussed, Cortina Watch debuted Jewellery Time in 2000. This public exhibition combined the finest of high jewellery and high watchmaking into one biennial event, featuring some of the world’s most exclusive bejewelled timepieces from the greatest watch brands in the world. From 2000 to 2011, six editions of Jewellery Time presented incredible high jewellery watches coveted by collectors globally, pre-empting the popularity of such timepieces today. Jewellery Time developed an audience for bejewelled timepieces and also offered brands a platform to showcase their high jewellery creations.
A Multi-Generational Retail Experience
The Chairman of Cortina Holdings, Mr Anthony Lim, credits the success of the company to its dedicated employees, many of whom have worked for Cortina Watch their entire career. He also thanks the company’s loyal clientele and strong following through the region for the trust they’ve placed with the retailer throughout the last 50 years. Cortina Watch’s customers today span three generations of watch collectors, sharing their passion for watchmaking with the retailer through the decades.
Within the company, a new generation of leaders have also been appointed to advance Cortina’s goals for the future. Mr Raymond Lim was appointed the CEO of Cortina Holdings, and Mr Jeremy Lim the CEO of Cortina Watch on June 1, 2021 by the board of directors.
As CEO of Cortina Holdings, Mr Raymond Lim is responsible for the performance of Cortina Watch and Sincere Watch, which was acquired in March 2021. He will be overseeing a transformation of the entire organisation to introduce a seamless retail experience across the group. He also intends to expand the company’s representation of brands across Cortina Watch and Sincere Watch, to further develop their presence across the Asia-Pacific region.
Says Group CEO, Raymond Lim, “Cortina’s success is the product of generations of watch collectors who are our clients; families and friends who are our employees and brand owners with whom we have shared histories across multiple generations. We have surmounted multiple crises over the last 50 years. Today, as retail is being transformed in diverse ways, we will share our passion for watchmaking with a new generation of collectors by innovating in retail and building on the intergenerational relationships we have established since 1972.”
50 Years of Continuous Growth
Cortina Watch has steadily grown even amidst some of the most challenging crises the world has seen in the last 50 years. Its solid fiscal performance has enabled it to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic even stronger, with its recent acquisition of Sincere Watch. This adds an additional 22 storefronts to the Group and expands its presence into Australia.
It also adds a specialised range of high and fine watchmaking brands that the Sincere Group offers, including: Franck Muller, Ferdinand Berthoud, Greubel Forsey, Parmigiani and many more.
Says Group CEO, Raymond Lim, “As we have done for the last 50 years, we will continue to invigorate our success in watch retail by expanding our product offerings across markets. We are working towards a universal and re-imagined retail experience, so customers can enjoy the finest retail standards no matter where they shop. Our retail platforms are staffed by sales experts who know each and every product intimately, to help our customers find the right timepieces for them. As we enter a new era of retail, we want to be a retail platform that can cater to every audience’s desires and share our passion for fine watchmaking with them.”
More information on Cortina Watch’s history can be found in the attached timeline document. Moving forward, the company will continue to pursue new opportunities across the Asia-Pacific region, to curate and share its passion for fine watchmaking with watch lovers.
The baht opened at 33.68 to the US dollar on Thursday, strengthening from Wednesday’s closing rate of 33.765.
The Thai currency is likely to move between 33.60 and 33.75 to the greenback during the day, Krungthai Bank market strategist Poon Panichpibool predicted.
Poon said that the baht is likely to fluctuate and swing sideways in the short term.
He said the baht might strengthen more if foreign investors do not sell a large number of short term bonds as the dollar is weakening and the gold price is increasing.
The baht key resistance level is at 33.80 to the dollar, which is the level that exporters are waiting to close the risk. Meanwhile, the baht support level is at 33.50 to the dollar.
Poon added that the number of transactions at the end of the year is reducing so the currency market is likely to fluctuate.
Krungsri Securities forecast the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index on Thursday (December 23) would fluctuate between 1,620-1,635 points despite the recent study showing that Omicron Covid-19 variants severity was lower than Delta.
It added that the index also gained positive sentiment from rising oil prices after the US oil storage has declined.
“However, investors should beware of foreign investors’ move to adjust their portfolio before Christmas and New Year holidays as it would cause volatility to the index,” Krungsri Securities said.
It also recommended buying of the following companies’ shares as an investment strategy: ▪︎ HMPRO, GLOBAL, DOHOME, CPN, CRC, SYNEX, COM7, SPVI, CPW and JMART, which benefit from the government’s fresh economic stimulus measures. ▪︎ RCL, LEO, III, WICE, SONIC and JWD, which benefit from rising freight rate. ▪︎ EA, GPSC, AMATA, WHA, AH and SAT, which benefit from the government’s support on electric vehicles.
On Dec. 9, crowds gathered for the annual Game Awards, a glitzy, Oscars-like, red-carpet event in Los Angeles, complete with orchestral performances and games industry executives donning suits and heels.
As the luminaries of the gaming world filed inside, several workers stood outside the entrances, holding up signs calling for Activision Blizzard to rehire 12 contractors it had laid off the prior week. That same day, an independent games studio was gearing up to announce it would become the first unionized gaming company in North America.
That contrast – between the flash of an awards ceremony and the toil of those working in the industry – is emblematic of the position the games industry finds itself in now: While video game companies rake in billions of dollars, their workers complain of unfair labor practices, long hours, sexual harassment and workplace misconduct. Video game companies in North America have never successfully unionized. That changed Dec. 16, when a union at the indie developer Vodeo Games was recognized by management.
“There’s been a lot of groundwork that’s been happening in the game industry over the last few years in terms of raising awareness about unions,” Vodeo designer Carolyn Jong said. “I don’t think there’s such a thing as a perfect workplace. There’s always going to be issues and there’s always a power imbalance between management and workers. . . . A big part of improving the bar, which is currently somewhere near the floor for the gaming industry as a whole, [is] unionization and workers organizing collectively.”
Vodeo’s unionization comes as one of the world’s biggest gaming companies, Activision Blizzard, faces multiple lawsuits and government investigations over its workplace culture and allegations of sexual misconduct and discrimination. In response, Activision Blizzard employees have called for the CEO to resign, launched strikes and are circulating union authorization cards in an effort to organize. Activision Blizzard did not respond to a request for comment.
“Vodeo has broken the ice on smaller studios. There are definitely folks at smaller studios that are realizing that unions are not just for triple A studios. They are for any size of studio,” Brian, a worker organizer in the Southern California games industry who declined to provide his last name for fear of retaliation, said on a Zoom call with The Post a week after the Game Awards. He and four other game workers stood outside the Game Awards in a hastily assembled protest meant to draw attention to Activision Blizzard workers’ ongoing strike.
Vodeo has about 13 employee across the United States and Canada managed solely by independent game developer Asher Vollmer, who founded the studio earlier this year. So far they’ve released just one game, “Beast Breaker,” which employees at the studio say is about solidarity and organizing to tackle big issues. The new union, Vodeo Workers United, is working with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), a major media labor union that is also helping Activision Blizzard workers and their attempts to reach collective bargaining.
“The unionization at Vodeo Games shows the wide range of workers who are considering the benefit of having a collective voice in negotiations about employment conditions, such as wages, health insurance, paid leave and workplace safety,” said Risa L. Lieberwitz, labor and employment law professor at Cornell University.
In the past, game workers would avoid speaking out publicly against their employer, as it could tarnish their reputation within the industry and make it difficult to find future jobs. But after decades of major gaming companies expecting employees to work 80- or 90-hour workweeks, and of workers fearing retaliation from management, Vodeo employees told The Post that the tide was changing.
“For Americans, at least generally, a lot of people aren’t familiar with unions,” Vodeo game director Chris Floyd said. “Myself, a couple years ago, I didn’t know much about how this works. I think that’s probably still true for a lot of folks in video games and outside video games. And so we’re starting to get educated.”
What’s happening in the games industry at Activision Blizzard and Vodeo is unprecedented. No single gaming company like Activision Blizzard has dominated the headlines with lawsuit after lawsuit for months before, topped off with an explosive Wall Street Journal report in November that claimed CEO Bobby Kotick did not inform the company’s board of directors for years about sexual misconduct allegations. A petition calling for Kotick’s resignation that was circulated among employees netted over 1,850 signatures.
Game industry workers have fought back before to some extent. In 2006, Electronic Arts settled a class action lawsuit by paying workers $14.9 million for overtime wages they were owed. And in Europe, where labor laws are generally stronger and unions are more prevalent, the Solidaires Informatique trade union for French workers in 2019 legally challenged Activision Blizzard’s plan to lay off 134 workers in its Versailles studio, delaying the layoffs for a year.
The CWA has worked with Activision Blizzard employees to organize a strike fund and get union cards signed so the company’s employees can vote on creating a union. So far, Activision Blizzard workers have raised over $340,000 in funds for those who cannot afford to stop work and lose wages. Workers are still collecting signatures.
At least several dozen Activision Blizzard workers across the company are in the midst of their third work stoppage following a California state agency lawsuit that alleged widespread sexual harassment and misconduct at the company. The strike is on its third week as workers demand that management rehire 12 contractors from Call of Duty developer Raven Software and promote all Raven quality assurance testers to full-time status. Some in-person demonstrations have taken place at the quality assurance office in Austin, Texas.
Activision Blizzard management responded to employees in a Dec. 10 email that ongoing work toward improving company culture would be best achieved without a union. Chief Administrative Officer Brian Bulatao sent the companywide email, saying: “We ask only that you take time to consider the consequences of your signature on the binding legal document presented to you by the CWA.”
The company has not responded to workers’ specific walkout demands as its studios head into the holidays.
“[Activision Blizzard King] management could follow Vodeo Games founder and game co-director Asher Vollmer’s lead,” CWA organizing director Tom Smith said, referring to the positive reception on social media to the news that Vollmer had recognized the Vodeo union. “It’s a choice: Do you want the sitting secretary of labor tweeting praise while copy pasting the company’s PR statement, or do you want to read news of another government agency complaint, investigation [or] lawsuit?”
Activision Blizzard and Vodeo workers told The Post that they were drawing inspiration from each group’s efforts to advocate for a better workplace.
“One of the reasons that we were inspired to work with CWA is we know that they’ve been working with other folks in the game industry and in tech, so having access to that broader network is actually really great. And hopefully it can be a two-way process,” said Vodeo’s Jong. “Us learning from them, and them learning from us.”
Activision Blizzard’s tumultuous battle with lawsuits, government investigations and worker protests has Wall Street analysts downgrading their rating of its stock. Unionization would further lower the company’s market value, according to Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter.
“If they were to succeed [in unionizing], the company would have to determine whether to recognize the union or to bust it,” Pachter said. “If only the hourly workers chose unionization, Activision could decide whether it is cheaper to recognize them or to export their jobs to a nonunion locale.”
That possibility looms large for workers in the industry.
“I do fear for my job,” said Aubrey Ryan, a contractor working for Blizzard. “Even if I’m fired, I have been part of a movement that is going to change the games industry. I might not benefit, but future people like me will.”
Present at the virtual meeting were officials from the Port Authority of Thailand and diplomats from both sides serving as witnesses.
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