18 months ago IFMA proudly received the honour of being part of the 5 rings by receiving recognition by the International Olympic Committee. The Turkish Muaythai Federation in a special celebration organised their national championships symbolically over 5 Muaythai boxing rings. 

At the forefront however, was not so much the IOC recognition but more the record number of 1223 athletes competing for the spots to represent Turkey at the upcoming IFMA World Championships in Cancun Mexico, and Youth World Championships in August in Bangkok.
Around 300 bouts per day came down to the finals and in the true spirit of Fair Play, it was decided that the gold medal winners would be qualified to make the team for the World Championships in Cancun while the Silver medalist were qualified for the European Championships in Prague.

The Turkish Muaythai Federation President Halil Durna stated that this number shows that Turkey is one of the leading Muaythai federations in the world. With 1223 athletes competing, the number of Muaythai enthusiast in the country is well over 100,000. Congratulations to the Turkish Muaythai Federation President Halil Durna, Vice President Hasan Yildiz and also the Chair of IFMA medical commission Erdogan Aydin and the fact that Turkish has two executive board members showcases the strength of Turkish Muaythai not only in Turkey but also around the world.
The muaythai action can be watched back thanks to the federation’s investment in live streaming at this link on Muaythai TV Turkey.