Charoen Wattanasin has been a success as a badminton player and administrator, in education and business and for that he has again been honoured by the King of Thailand.
_with_Dr_Nat_Indrapona_one_of_Thailands_IOC_members_3082.jpg)
Charoen, 55 years of age, has been awarded the honour of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant for his services to badminton.
Par Davis's "Encyclopaedia of Badminton" (1987) said of Charoen, "Thailand's greatest ever player - who coached a king, Bhumibol Adulvadej" and "in 1960 he went to Liverpool University on a business management scholarship given by King Bhumibol." He used that education to become managing director of a large multinational company in Bangkok where he lives.
He has maintained his interest in badminton through being Vice President of the IBF since 1990 and he has been on the IBF Council from 1974-76 and then from 1982 to 1990.
Charoen reached the final of the All England on two occasions, in 1960 and 1962, and was twice beaten by Erland Kops, but he was three times champion of Malaya and represented Thailand 15 times.
For other achievements, he was awarded the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand.
He is a member of the referees' panel and takes a keen interest in this aspect of the game. Since then Charoen has excelled as a member of the IBF Development Committee with work in Asia and advice to other continental groups, also writing a coaching book.
He was deputy referee for the Olympic Games, a member of the Publicity Committee and Deputy Chairman of the Development Committee.
And in Thailand he is Secretary General of the Badminton Association of Thailand.
Congratulations on a job well done for badminton.
-- World Badminton Vol 20 No 3 Sep/Oct 1992