Rafal Simonides, former IFMA and WMC champion, and presently the Ambassador of the Muaythai Against Drugs and Sport Is Your Gang campaigns in Poland has made multiple projects to introduce muaythai for the youth and attract kids attention to sport values.
Rafal has travelled all around Poland to promote the healthy life style and tell the story of his path from a teen who was at a cross roads in his life until he became an accomplished athlete of muaythai.
One of the projects Rafal orgainsed in cooperation with the city authority of Wlodawa city in Poland, and on special invitation of the Mayor, was an open training session for all people regardless of gender, ability, age and culture.
Rafal developed a special training programme for kids from youth establishments, organised training for people with different abilities, and made an introduction into the history of muaythai from its foundation until the present time, with its latest achievements and its way towards the highest sporting recognition.
Special attention was given to the King’s Cup where Rafal explained how he competed at this important event in the motherland of the sport.
Rafal said that he sees it his mission to give the youth a reference point through sport and it’s an utmost achievement to acknowledge that your own example can inspire others to show character and power of will to be greater than you were yesterday. Sport can change your personality, and as the famous saying goes Sound Body Sound Mind. With this, I was happy that people with different abilities joined the session and I was amazed how important it is for them to be physically active and how much they enjoyed muaythai as a culture, fitness, and way of life.
Rafal plans to continue and expand his projects and involve people with disabilities into his activity as these are the people who can benefit from muaythai the most. Muaythai, being recognised by the National Olympic Committee in Poland puts priority on the youth and social projects, as the President of the Polish Muaythai Federation Mr. Rafal Szlachta’s mission is to continue changing the world for better through his passion which is muaythai.