Muaythai Softpower Festival 2023: The Power of Muaythai
06.12.2023
The most impressive shopping and entertainment center, Iconsiam, next to Thailand’s lifeline, the Chao Praya River, which holds over 7000 shops and 100 restaurants and even a floating market combining shops, food stalls displaying the diversity of the 75 regions of the country.
The Softpower of muaythai is built on 5 F’s: food, film, fashion, fighting and festival and over 300 VIP guests from the Royal Thai Government with over 30 embassies, muaythai superstars and Olympic champions all came together to support the world-wide campaign.
The event is hosted by the Ministry of Commerce Department of International Trade Promotion in conjunction with the two recognized muaythai federations in the kingdom, AMTAT and PAT and the world governing body IFMA, collaborated on an evening of glamor but also considerate as the 3rd of December is the United Nations International Day of Person’s with Disability. There was no better occasion to celebrate inclusion, nondiscrimination and equality than through the power of muaythai.
The Director General, Mr. Phusit Rattanakul Serererngrit, opened the evening showing his pride as a Thai for the popularity through muaythai and the 5 F’s which have taken the world by storm but at the same time, enhancing the values of the Kingdom of Thailand. The event continued with a spectacular show with Muaythai the Legend Lives, followed by a Muaythai Fashion Show and it was then, that the inclusivity of muaythai was showcased to the delight of the guests.
The Mai Muay World Champions of the 2023 Riyadh World Combat Games, Rhichien Yosorez and Kylie Mallari, beautifully showcased the ancient traditions of muaythai while the Para World Combat Games Champion, Lapasi Chroktonkcharoen from the Kingdom of Thailand showed his muaythai skills and the art. This was followed by the gold medal winner and champion of the 2023 World Combat Games of the Special Muaythyai discipline, Jonathan Govinden from the United Kingdom.
The youngest of the youngest showcased muaythai’s grassroots development in which the safety and the development of the youth resides at the center of all work with Teedech Tonwan from Thailand and Dazaisy Hafiy Aznee from Malaysia in the junior male demonstration and Chansinee Kaenrum from Thailand and Olivia Bahasous from Canada in the female junior demonstration with all athletes receiving standing ovations.
Stephan Fox, the President of United Through Sports made gave an emotional speech highlighting sport as a universal language serving as a testament of skill, determination, strength of individuals and teams.
He underlined the continued need for unity and the unifying power of sport which is needed more than ever especially standing together for and with the youth of the world. It was then, that Youth Ambassador and Athlete from India, Parth Talawar, made a speech on his journey and what muaythai has given him and why the youth of the world stand together towards a better tomorrow.
The Director General summed it up in the press conference that muaythai is much more than competition, muaythai is a way of life with so many benefits and that the Royal Thai Government will promote the Softpower of muaythai to the world.
