Queen Suthida to Open the 2026 Global Wellness Summit in Phuket
Her Majesty, who won SEA Games gold in sailing and ran a half marathon beside Eliud Kipchoge, will welcome delegates to the summit’s 20th anniversary edition on November 11.
Her Majesty Queen Suthida of Thailand will officially open the 2026 Global Wellness Summit (GWS) on the morning of November 11 at Angsana Laguna Phuket, the organization announced on October 13. The summit, which gathers leaders from across the global wellness economy, marks its 20th anniversary this year. It runs from November 10 to 13 under the theme “The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.”
The Queen has built a public profile around health, sport and fitness. At the 2025 Southeast Asian Games she helped lead Thailand’s sailing team to gold as strategist and navigator. She is the first Women’s Global Ambassador of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), a role that promotes women in sport worldwide. A long-distance runner, she covered the half marathon alongside Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge at the Amazing Thailand Marathon Bangkok 2025.
“It’s the honor of a lifetime to welcome Thailand’s Queen to our 20th-anniversary event,” said Susie Ellis, GWS chair and CEO. “It’s an extraordinary moment for the wellness industry and I think it will be one of those exceptional experiences that every delegate will never forget. Queen Suthida’s authentic leadership and profound commitment to health, wellness and sports is an inspiration to us all.”
Jiří Dvořák, MD, PhD, the 2026 GWS co-chair and a professor of neurology at Schulthess Clinic Zurich and at BDMS Wellness Clinic in Thailand, has known the Queen for many years. She trains at the clinic’s Musculoskeletal Department, where he supervises her sessions.
“When she trains, her entire team trains as well,” Dvořák said. “Her Majesty is a top performance athlete, and a role model for her team at the palace, and moreover, for the nation! It is a privilege to supervise her training, and an honor to have her grace the 20th-anniversary Global Wellness Summit with her presence.”