2014: A Knockout Year for Muaythai
While the New Year has started with many activities planned for 2015 such as the Muaythai Day gala event, IFMA Muaythai University World Cup (under patronage of FISU), the African Championship in Morocco, the all-important Royal World Cup in Bangkok, and many more, last year marked many important milestones for Muaythai.
February: saw Muaythai day, organized by the cultural ministry in conjunction with WMC and IFMA celebrated in Bangkok and other cities around the world.
April: saw the highly successful SportAccord Convention in Belek, Turkey, with Muaythai included in the official sports program of the 2017 World Games. Muaythai was also given the honour of being declared the winner of the SportAccord 2014 Spirit of Sport Award. The official signing of an MoU with UN Women to UNiTE to End Violence Against Women finished off an eventful month for Muaythai.
May: the highlight was without a doubt, the fantastic IFMA World Championship in beautiful Langkawi, hosted by Malaysian Muaythai and the Malaysian Government, and event which saw 110 member countries in participation. The month of May also saw the Muaythai World Conference on Youth and Sport with speakers from SportAccord, United Nations, the Malaysian Government, IFMA, and many others.
June: Who can forget the successful Monte Carlo Fighting Masters, under the patronage of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, who is also the patron of Peace and Sport, which Muaythai works closely together with. The Monte Carlo Fighting Masters saw 9 fantastic World Title fights and history being made with HSH Prince Albert II giving the Prince Cup and WMC World Title belt to Muaythai superstar, Buakaw.
July: Was the busiest month with far too many events to mention, with 26 events in all 5 continents from Hong Kong, to Australia, to North and South America, Europe and Asia.
August: Muaythai received the highest honour anyone in Thailand can receive which was Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King in a glorious event. It truly was an unforgettable moment when the Royal Guards marched in the official documents. There were also over 20 events that went on around the globe with the highlight being the FightNight in Saint-Tropez under the patronage of Mme Brigitte Bardotte. It was Chomannee being the first woman to win the Muaythai UNiTE trophy.
September: Two big regional championships took place around the world with the European Championship in Krakow, Poland and everyone in applauding the fantastic festivities and closing ceremony with over 8,000 spectators in attendance at one of Europe’s finest arenas. The second event held in September was the Arabic Muaythai Championship in beautiful Amman Jordan which boasted a truly spectacularly cultural opening ceremony.
October: Another busy month around the world, but without a doubt, the month belonged to the female part of our sport as Muaythai Angels became as popular, maybe even more so, as their other counterparts.
November: Muaythai made its debut in the Asian Beach Games under the Olympic Committee of Asia, and was without a doubt the most successful, exciting and most talked about sport in the Games. The beach stadium was filled to the seams for the finals which clearly showed the popularity of Muaythai.
December: The highlight of the month as the momentous Kings Cup Event, with Muaythai fully under patronage of His Majesty. A special VIP event was organized and it was the first time in Thailand that it was done in conjunction with UNiTE.
Muaythai will continue to work hard with IFMA being the sole Muaythai federation, recognized by SportAccord, the Olympic Council of Asia, the International World Games Association and many more including an upcoming Muaythai University World Cup under the patronage of The Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU, English: International University Sports Federation).
Under IFMA, Muaythai is included in many Multi-sport Games, the World Combat Games (under patronage of the IOC), Asian Beach Games, Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, a demonstration sport in the Asian Games, included in the official sport program of the upcoming World Games and so on. The number of IFMA members is growing with 128 National Federations working under the same rules and regulations, with more than 70 members who are fully recognized by their National Olympic Council and/or Higher Sport Authority.
IFMA and its members are internationally praised for their Education and Prevention programs, compliance with the new The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) codes, strong social responsibility programs in conjunction with Peace and Sport and UNiTE to End Violence Against Women, education programs for Every Body in the Art and Sport of Muaythai and its disciplines (Muay Boran, Krabi Krabong, Muay Fitness), important Youth Development programs, Athletes After Career program, following a strict code of ethics with solid athlete entourage guidelines and many more. IFMA will continue to use Muaythai with all their stakeholders, SportAccord, OCA, IWGA, and hopefully soon recognition by the IOC, to continue to use Muaythai and all its benefits for its participants from all walks of life, social standing, and its cultural values to make a positive contribution to society.
