The 5th of March will go down in history books as one of the most exciting and inspiring days of Muaythai in the IFMA Arab region. Twenty countries came together in sporting and cultural exchange and the sportsmanship and the respect showed by the athletes highlights the IFMA principle of unity in diversity.
The President of the Asian and Arab Muaythai Federation HE Abdullah Al Neyadi took time out to visit the athletes before the finals wishing them good luck and thanked them for being such outstanding ambassadors for Muaythai and the Arab world. The VIP section was overflowing with delegates from the government, National, Para and Special Olympic Committees, Presidents of all Arab federations present and it was a festival atmosphere in the stadium especially when teams like Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Syria, Lebanon and the host country, UAE, competed for fame and glory.
The Executive Director of the UAE Muaythai Federation, Tareq Al Mehairi, could not hide his pride for the success of the event which was, once again, another milestone in the development of Muaythai and IFMA and the Arab Muaythai Federation especially with such a large numbers.
Janice Lyn, Chair of the IFMA Athletes’ Commission, echoed and also applauded all the efforts made towards gender equality with such large numbers of female athletes, and in many ways outshining their male counterparts.
There were also some beautiful Wai Kru performances that complimented the live Pi Muay band flown from Thailand, who were a highlight of the event as they not only preserved the tradition and atmosphere of muaythai during the exciting competitions but even entertained the audience with pre-fight performances much to the delight of the audience.
We must congratulate above all, the athletes, for their outstanding performances, just 2 months before the IFMA World Championships, the Arab Muaythai Federation and the UAE Muaythai Federation for organizing, once again, a world class event.
IFMA also congratulates the referees and judges for promoting and standing by fair play, the medical staff for ensuring the health and safety of the athletes and all the volunteers who welcomed the athletes and delegations all over the Arab region with warm hospitality and who kept everyone smiling from start to finish.
Thank you UAE! See you all in Bangkok for the IFMA World Championships 2023!