The heads of the Pan-American muaythai federations met together during the world muaythai championships to make plans for the future development of amateur muaythai in the region.

These regional meetings take place during every World Championships but as this tournament was held in Cancun Mexico, there was an higher attendance than usual. Representatives from Colombia and Chile attending their first world games were able to present on the state of muaythai in their countries.

Elisa Salinas,  head of the Mexican muaythai federation and also of the Pan-American Confederation led discussions on how the sport can be further promoted and encouraged in every member nation. She also talked about the inspiring growth of the Sport Is Your Gang social projects with large numbers of children now attending classes in Mexico, Peru, Honduras and Costa Rica as well as a partnership in Los Angeles run with the United States Muaythai Federation.

Representatives from the US and Canada talked about the development of muaythai there, and what their plans are as the American city of Birmingham, Alabama perpares to host The World Games in 2021.

The strong presence of muaythai on national media in Mexico and elsewhere during this tournament has been a great boost for muaythai in the region. IFMA general secretary Stephan Fox also addressed the meeting, and he said the inspiration provided by seeing Pan-American athletes on the podium is crucial for further growth of the sport in this region.

The meeting agreed that building on the success of the recent Pan-American tournament, and now also this tournament – the first time the World Championships have been held in the Pan-Am area – can only be positive for amateur muaythai.

For more news on Pan-American muaythai see Confederacion Panamericana de Muaythai