The World Muaythai Championships 2018 will be a unique event for many reasons as it already attracts huge attention from media all around the world and national teams prepare their best athletes to compete for the first team place.
IFMA would like to highlight the most remarkable facts about the World Championships in Mexico which already made history before it was even announced.
1. It is going to be the first time that an American continent will hold World Muaythai Championships.
Muaythai participation in the American continent is on the rise with the United States Muaythai Federation bringing a record number of teams to the last three Youth World Championships, Canada has been a leading force in the world of Muaythai with such outstanding athletes like Janice Lyn who is the chair of the IFMA Athlete Commission or Candice Mitchell who has won multiple Muaythai tournaments. Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Argentina have been regular participants at IFMA events and multisport games.
Today countries like Costa Rica, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay and Honduras are becoming competitors against the long-established federations and World Championship participants in their continent.
2. World Championships 2018 will be the most sustainable event so far.
With all venues located in one resort and the airport being only 7 kilometers away the World Championships in Cancun will be the most sustainable event ever. After the arrival to the hotel, 0 emissions will be produced between the transportation of teams between hotels and the venue.
The Local Organising Committee commits to producing the uniforms for athletes, volunteers, and staff for the championships involving local labor and consuming local goods.
A full volunteer programme is open to local young men and women to gain great experience from working at a sports management event.
Located at the historical sites the stay of the teams in Mexico will be a true dive into the history of human civilisation and exploration into the beautiful flora and fauna of this paradise-like region.
3. Biggest Sport Is Your Gang project planned for the event.
The Mexican Muaythai Federation is famous for its outstanding commitment to giving back to society. Its President Ms. Elisa Salinas dedicates a lot of effort to take Mexican youth from the streets and give them a reference point through sport.
IFMA is planning a combined project where Muaythai champions will meet the youth from Mexico and other South American countries to inspire them with their example to pursue their dreams of becoming a champion in sport and life.
4. World Championships in Cancun will gather the world’s most decorated athletes.
2017 was a year full of events for Muaythai with the Asian Beach Games, World Games, Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games and World Muaythai Championships; all these events turned national athletes into international heroes who won medals, got people’s choice prizes and spent hours of photo sessions with fans.
Kazakhstan, Sweden, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Ukraine, Thailand and many more confirmed their team list with every athlete having won medals at IFMA events and multi-sport games during 2017. The World Championships in Cancun will be an event where continental Muaythai stars will gather under one event and compete for the most prestigious awards in Muaythai.
5. A record number of 1000 participants are expected to arrive in Cancun for this competition.
With the host country location allowing the South American countries to send much bigger teams to participate in the World Championships 2018 making it the most attended event ever.
It will be the first time and also a great opportunity for South American teams to take a detour to Mexico and send big teams which combined with regular teams from Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania will give unseen numbers and an amazing blend of cultures.
It’s hard to believe that the opening of the 2018 World Muaythai Championships is less than two months away. It doesn’t seem like very long ago that IFMA teams visited an incredible event in Minsk, enjoying the Belarus hospitality and the outstanding Muaythai at the 2017 World Championships.