April 16, 2020, IFMA and UTS launched the #MuaythaiConnects Social and Active Challenge in the wake of the pandemic in an effort to create opportunity, to promote positivity and to come together in solidarity at a time when the world was required to socially distance themselves to try to contain the spread of the virus.
The IFMA HQ received hundreds of videos from athletes and coaches around the world in a heartwarming effort to collectively invite their friends and IFMA Family around the world into their homes without borders, passport, visa or political restrictions.
Unfortunately, many of us find ourselves still in lockdown, however, the historical efforts of last year and the IFMA Family’s open arms proved to us that so much can be done when we work together.
The #MuaythaiConnects Social and Active Challenge started as a small challenge to bring the Muaythai Family together and to keep one another active and positive. The initiative proved that Muaythai could go virtual and didn’t necessarily need physical contact. The pandemic placed the IFMA Family in a more empathetic frame of mind where when the pandemic lifts and the lives of many will go back to normal, many individuals who live in refugee camps or more restricted circumstances will still not regain access to the same liberties or the many freedoms we have.