A 14-year-old Chinese ice hockey player was disqualified after allegedly punching a Thai referee during the Bangkok Fly Ice Hockey Tournament 2026 at the Thailand International Ice Hockey Arena (TIIHA) on Rama 9 Road, Bangkok, late on Friday night. The incident occurred at around 23:00 during an Under-14 Division B match between Anesthetist and A/B Hockey and has prompted strong reaction within the local ice hockey community.

Get today's headlines by email

The player accused of assaulting the referee was identified as Venom Liu, a 14-year-old forward from Chengdu, China, born on 16 January 2012. The referee, known as “Coach Ang”, was Sgt. Teerasak Rattanachot, a former member of Thailand’s men’s national ice hockey team who was officiating the match.

According to a parent from the Young Ducks Under-12 team who witnessed the incident, the confrontation began near the end of the game when player number 77 committed a foul and disagreed with the referee’s decision. The parent said the player initially chest-bumped the referee, leading to his ejection from the match under tournament rules.

As the player left the ice, he allegedly pushed the referee again before taking an opportunity to punch him. The witness stated that the referee’s decision had been correct and suggested the player may have been frustrated because his team was scoring very few points and trailing heavily. The parent also noted that the 14-year-old was his team’s key player and the only one scoring points.

Tournament organisers responded by imposing sanctions on the team. Nuchanart Ponglerkdee, known as “Coach Phung” and Tournament Organiser of the Bangkok Fly Ice Hockey Tournament 2026, confirmed that the Anesthetist team had been disqualified from its two remaining tournament matches and had since returned to China.

The witness said that physical assaults on referees are virtually unheard of in the sport, despite the physical nature of ice hockey. He added that players normally respect officials, accept penalties and serve time in the penalty box, even when they disagree with decisions.

The parent also criticised the behaviour of an adult who allegedly entered the playing area and pointed a finger in the referee’s face during the match. He said organisers should take greater steps to prevent parents from entering the rink and described the incident as something that should never occur in any sport.

Khaosod reported that officials have not announced any further disciplinary measures. However, the incident has highlighted concerns about player conduct, emotional control and sideline behaviour at youth sporting events.

Pictures courtesy of Khaosod

Join the discussion?

Already a member?

Adapted by ASEAN Now Khaosod 9 June 2026

View full article

What's the bet the spoilt brat with low impulse control is the son of a CCP official.

Chip off the old block.......

Did he drop his gloves first?

Many years ago, when China debuted its first men's national ice hockey team, their opening game (face off) with the Canadian national men's team was hilarious. As soon as the first puck was dropped, the entire Chinese team dropped their gloves and started fighting with the closest Canadian players. Seems they'd watched the NHL videos and seen the hockey brawls of the 1970s and figured they needed to mark their territory and reputation at the outset.

I did not know that there was ice hockey in Thailand... Never read or seen it in the news or tv.. In the heat of the games things are happening, Of course it should be investigated what happened that this kid was so upset. It is almost always a built up issue during the game

43 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

Seems they'd watched the NHL videos and seen the hockey brawls of the 1970s and figured they needed to mark their territory and reputation at the outset.

Funny as.........and how did they fair in the dust up.......

2 minutes ago, Off Piste said:

Funny as.........and how did they fair in the dust up.......

Dunno, but they sure the Canadians by surprise. So maybe not too bad!

As a Canadian , i gotta see the video.

The Thai referee should've given the Chinese punk a decent smacking. I suppose he'll claim racial discrimination.

15 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

A 14-year-old Chinese ice hockey player was disqualified after allegedly punching a Thai referee during the Bangkok Fly Ice Hockey Tournament 2026 at the Thailand International Ice Hockey Arena (TIIHA) on Rama 9 Road, Bangkok, late on Friday night. The incident occurred at around 23:00 during an Under-14 Division B match between Anesthetist and A/B Hockey and has prompted strong reaction within the local ice hockey community.

Get today's headlines by email

The player accused of assaulting the referee was identified as Venom Liu, a 14-year-old forward from Chengdu, China, born on 16 January 2012. The referee, known as “Coach Ang”, was Sgt. Teerasak Rattanachot, a former member of Thailand’s men’s national ice hockey team who was officiating the match.

According to a parent from the Young Ducks Under-12 team who witnessed the incident, the confrontation began near the end of the game when player number 77 committed a foul and disagreed with the referee’s decision. The parent said the player initially chest-bumped the referee, leading to his ejection from the match under tournament rules.

As the player left the ice, he allegedly pushed the referee again before taking an opportunity to punch him. The witness stated that the referee’s decision had been correct and suggested the player may have been frustrated because his team was scoring very few points and trailing heavily. The parent also noted that the 14-year-old was his team’s key player and the only one scoring points.

Tournament organisers responded by imposing sanctions on the team. Nuchanart Ponglerkdee, known as “Coach Phung” and Tournament Organiser of the Bangkok Fly Ice Hockey Tournament 2026, confirmed that the Anesthetist team had been disqualified from its two remaining tournament matches and had since returned to China.

The witness said that physical assaults on referees are virtually unheard of in the sport, despite the physical nature of ice hockey. He added that players normally respect officials, accept penalties and serve time in the penalty box, even when they disagree with decisions.

The parent also criticised the behaviour of an adult who allegedly entered the playing area and pointed a finger in the referee’s face during the match. He said organisers should take greater steps to prevent parents from entering the rink and described the incident as something that should never occur in any sport.

Khaosod reported that officials have not announced any further disciplinary measures. However, the incident has highlighted concerns about player conduct, emotional control and sideline behaviour at youth sporting events.

Pictures courtesy of Khaosod

Join the discussion?

Already a member?

Adapted by ASEAN Now Khaosod 9 June 2026

View full article

Inappropriate way to express your opinion

The young Anesthetist was trying to knock out the Ref without the usual drugs. Not clever, Grasshopper.🙂

Kids of 14 competing at 11pm? When I was a tennis journalist matches were going late, the ball kids were sent home and I and a couple of others, including a retired Wimbledon champion, took their place.

I guess that curfew doesn't exist in Thailand. Well, we know it doesn't. Countless reports of kids getting into trouble in the early hours.

Must have been binge watching the Canadian ice hockey games

and got a few pointers.

16 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

I did not know that there was ice hockey in Thailand... Never read or seen it in the news or tv.. In the heat of the games things are happening, Of course it should be investigated what happened that this kid was so upset. It is almost always a built up issue during the game

There are a number of leagues including foreigner leagues, often members being embassy staff from Western countries. There were also several bar leagues, sponsored by Canadian, Swedish and other national centered bars in Bangkok.

There are more ice rinks than you'd expect, often in major shopping malls like Grand Rama-9 and Mega BangNa. If you were to stand around the Grand Rama-9 rink for a while you might see some excellent figure skaters practicing.

Best player on the team? I wonder what disciplinary measures will be taken by the team, the league, or the federation once the kid gets back to China. Will he ever see international play again?

50 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Kids of 14 competing at 11pm? When I was a tennis journalist matches were going late, the ball kids were sent home and I and a couple of others, including a retired Wimbledon champion, took their place.

I guess that curfew doesn't exist in Thailand. Well, we know it doesn't. Countless reports of kids getting into trouble in the early hours.

I’ve never understood sleeping habits of adult Thais, never mind children.

Do Thai families set a standard bedtime for their children? It seems very random, but I only know a couple of families with young children.

4 hours ago, rocketboy2 said:

Must have been binge watching the Canadian ice hockey games

and got a few pointers.

Nah, in Canada we would have crunched him with a stick!

This little brat should be sent to Switzerland and learn from the big boys.

By lunchtime, he’d likely be on an Air China flight heading straight back home.😂 And he will never punch a referee again.

Junior is age 16 to 20. In Canada it's highly competitive and there are some big, strong young men playing. A few of my friends played junior back in the day. The point is that a junior player hitting a ref could cause serious injuries whereas a 14 year old isn't as large and capable yet. I can't imagine assaulting a ref in any sport but there's a different social hierarchy in Asia and the entitlement runs deep.