Muaythai Reopens in the Kingdom
Thailand like many other countries has had and is still continuing to fight the Covid 19 pandemic. The pandemic has affected all areas of society and certainly sport and muaythai have been no exception. Thailand has experienced many lockdowns and muaythai like other sports has had to make sacrifices and lose income resulting in gyms closing with no opportunities for athletes.
Two months ago the Kingdom of Thailand was in celebration of the full recognition by the International Olympic Committee and all government organisations joined forces in full support of IFMA towards even higher recognition.
A Muaythai taskforce has been built by the President of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand, His Excellency Pravit Wongsuwan and the IFMA Vice President General Udomdej has been put in charge, working closely with IFMA towards common goals and wishes.
Today is the official restart of muaythai in Buriram with many VIP’s from around the country coming to support the elite athletes of Thailand towards a restart and the new normal.
A special bubble has been created to ensure the safety of the fighters and to ensure the safety of everyone involved. 330 fights will take place over the next month, a record number to search for the next generation of muaythai superstars for the upcoming World Championships held in cooperation with the Royal Thai Government, Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the Sport’s Authority of Thailand and the National Sports Development Fund.
Thailand will be hosting the IFMA World Championships in Phuket in December which will be the international opening of muaythai with around 100 countries expected for the official World Games qualifier 2022.
Today’s event was opened by the IFMA Vice-President, General Udomdej Sitabutr who made an emotional speech outlining the pride of Thailand to be fully recognised by the International Olympic Committee for all muaythai and the important responsibility that comes with it. The General went on to say that Thailand will stand in solidarity and unity as One Standard Muaythai with unified rules, health and safety, youth development, gender equality and so much more.
Good luck to all the athletes fighting on this historical event.
