Paintball in Thailand
Paintball in Thailand includes recreational paintball, domestic tournament competition and international speedball events. Thailand became an established destination on the Asian tournament circuit during the 2000s, hosting competitions associated with the Paintball Asia League Series (PALS).
Thai teams have also achieved success internationally, particularly at the Paintball World Cup Asia, where teams including Infernal and Aisawan won major divisional titles.[1][2]
History
Early international competition
Thailand was hosting international tournament paintball by the mid-2000s.
In a February 2010 interview, Malaysian paintball organiser Patrick Tan recalled that the previous international PALS event in Thailand had taken place in 2006. The interview also described efforts to support the development of Thailand's domestic tournament scene.[3]
On 13–14 March 2010, Pattaya hosted the inaugural Pattaya International Paintball Championship at the Thailand Sports Centre.
Organised with support from Pattaya City, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Thailand International Paintball Club, the tournament was announced with 49 teams representing 11 countries.[4]
The tournament formed part of the Paintball Asia League Series and helped re-establish Thailand as an international competition venue.
Paintball Asia League Series
During the early 2010s, Bangkok became a regular host of PALS tournaments.
The 2013 PALS Thailand event took place from 28 February to 3 March at Express Way Paintball Club in Bangkok.
Participating teams included Thailand's Infernal, Australia's STK, Malaysia's Nemesis Legion and Xtioneers, and Iran's Datis.
The event also attracted international guest players, including members of San Diego Dynasty, Los Angeles Infamous and Edmonton Impact.[5]
PALS returned to Bangkok from 28 to 30 March 2014 and 27 to 29 March 2015, with both tournaments held at Expressway Paintball Field in the Rama 9 area.[6][7]
International tournament success
Thai teams achieved several notable results at the Paintball World Cup Asia in Malaysia.
At the 2012 World Cup Asia in Langkawi, Infernal won Division 1, finishing ahead of Australia's STK and Malaysia's Nemesis Legion.[2]
At the 2014 World Cup Asia, Thai teams won all three principal divisional competitions:
| Division | Winning team |
|---|---|
| Division 1 | Aisawan |
| Division 2 | SPEED Aisawan |
| Division 3 | Virgin Aisawan |
The official PALS season rankings also placed Aisawan first in Division 1, SPEED Aisawan first in Division 2 and Virgin Aisawan first in Division 3.[1]
In 2015, Aisawan again won Division 1 at the World Cup Asia, while Inception Aisawan won Division 2. Both teams finished first in their respective published PALS season rankings.[8]
Domestic tournament development
Thailand also developed domestic tournament organisations, including the Thailand Paintball Official Circuit (TPOC).
An officially registered TPOC event took place at Expressway Paintball Club in Bangkok on 8–9 February 2014, with five-player RaceTo-2 competition in two divisions.[9]
On 23–25 September 2016, the circuit organised the Gelkaps Phuket International tournament at Surin Beach Soccer Stadium in Phuket.
The competition attracted 30 registered teams across three divisions, using X-Ball and RaceTo formats.[10]
Thailand also hosted World Paintball Championship events during the late 2010s, with PBLeagues recording competitions in 2017, 2018 and 2019.[11]
Thailand Xball League
The Thailand Xball League (TXBL) subsequently became part of the country's international tournament programme.
The 2025 TXBL tournament was held at Jomtien Beach in Pattaya from 21 to 23 February.
The competition featured 41 registered teams across three X-Ball divisions, with competitors from Thailand and other countries.[12]
The Division 1 title was won by Guardians SFB, ahead of Russian Roulette and YaZvezda Desperados.[13]
Notable teams
Thai teams documented in international tournament records include:
- Infernal – Winner of Division 1 at the 2012 Paintball World Cup Asia and a regular participant in international competition.
- Aisawan – Division 1 champion at the 2014 and 2015 Paintball World Cup Asia.
- SPEED Aisawan – Division 2 champion at the 2014 Paintball World Cup Asia.
- Virgin Aisawan – Division 3 champion at the 2014 Paintball World Cup Asia.
- Inception Aisawan – Division 2 champion at the 2015 Paintball World Cup Asia.
- SPEED Overshoot – Winner of Division 3 at the 2014 and 2015 Bangkok PALS tournaments.[1][8][14]
See also
- Paintball Asia League Series
- Paintball World Cup Asia
- Infernal
- Aisawan
- Thailand Paintball Official Circuit
- Thailand Xball League
- X-Ball
- Speedball
References
- PBLeagues, Paintball Asia League Series, 2014 Season Rankings.
- Social Paintball, Israel Lagares, 2012 PALS Paintball World Cup Asia Results and Photos, 13 November 2012.
- SEBURO, Patrick Tan on the Pattaya International Paintball Championship, 5 February 2010.
- Pattaya Mail, Pattaya International Paintball Championships This Weekend, 12 March 2010.
- Social Paintball, Mazzy Mao, 2013 PALS Thailand Begins This Weekend, 26 February 2013.
- PBLeagues, PALS 2014 Leg 1, Bangkok, 28–30 March 2014.
- PBLeagues, PALS 2015 Leg 1, Bangkok, 27–29 March 2015.
- PBLeagues, Paintball Asia League Series, 2015 Season Rankings.
- PBLeagues, Thailand Paintball Official Circuit, TPOC Leg 1, 8–9 February 2014.
- PBLeagues, TPOC Gelkaps Phuket International, 23–25 September 2016.
- PBLeagues, Infernal, Historical Tournament Results, including World Paintball Championship events.
- PBLeagues, TXBL Pattaya 2025, 21–23 February 2025.
- PBLeagues, TXBL Pattaya 2025, Official Team Rankings.
- PBLeagues, SPEED Overshoot, Historical Tournament Results.