Her Majesty Queen Suthida will travel to Japan from 14 to 22 October 2026, where she will attend a women’s ice hockey championship in Sapporo, the Royal Household Bureau has announced.
At the invitation of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) President, Her Majesty will watch the 2027 IIHF Women’s Asia Championship from 15 to 18 October, and present medals and trophies to the athletes.
The visit is part of Her Majesty’s role as the IIHF’s first Women’s Global Ambassador, a title she has held since 2024.
The IIHF invited Her Majesty to take on the role after Their Majesties the King and Queen presided over the opening of a new ice rink in Chiang Mai in November 2023. She was formally honoured in October 2024 at a ceremony in Bangkok, held alongside the first women’s ice hockey friendly between Thailand and China, in which Her Majesty also took to the ice with the Thai national team.
“With the passion Her Majesty brings to our sport, she will inspire many female athletes and certainly become a role model for many more athletes in the Asia region, as well as worldwide,” IIHF President Luc Tardif said at the time.
Since then, Her Majesty has represented women’s ice hockey on the world stage, including attending the women’s ice hockey medal matches at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in February.
Ice hockey may seem an unlikely sport for a tropical country, but Thailand has become a leader in Southeast Asia. According to the IIHF, it is one of the few countries in the region to take part in all five IIHF World Championships across men’s, women’s and junior categories, and Bangkok is among the world’s fastest-growing hockey markets.
Her Majesty will depart from Don Mueang military airport on Wednesday, 14 October, and return on Thursday, 22 October.
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