Muay Thai Expo to kick off
[BOXING] Nearly 2,000 boxers from 82 nations will be taking part in the Muay Thai Expo, one of the biggest muay Thai tournaments Thailand has ever hosted, from May 31 to June 7.
The Amateur Muaythai Association of Thailand (Amtat) will stage the eight-day meet and the organisers hope for big crowds as well as a large number of competitors who will also be part of the celebration of the 60th year of His Majesty the King's accession to the throne. After being approved by the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), which recognises muay Thai as an international sport, Amtat president Sakchye Tapsuwan hopes the event will impress all the participants. "Due to the auspicious occasion and the approval from the GAISF, the Amtat will also offer a cultural show - the martial art of muay Thai - to highlight some local traditions apart from the pure muay Thai competition," said Dr Sakchye. "Almost 2,000 fighters from 82 member nations have already confirmed they will be taking part. We are busy putting everything in place for all the fighters." The tournament is scheduled for May 31 to June 7 and The Mall Bangkapi will be the venue. Meanwhile, the general assembly of the International Federation of Muaythai Amateurs (Ifma) will be held in Bangkok from June 4-5. The main topics of the meeting will be to push the Thai martial art as a demonstration sport at next year's World University Games in Bangkok, with muay Thai fighters from about 20 countries likely to be involved. The Ifma meeting also said that muay Thai will be increasingly promoted world-wide in the near future in an effort to make it a regular sport at the SEA Games, Asian Games and Olympics.
Alitta Tangrungruengkit The Nation
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