The health and safety of muaythai athletes is central to all IFMA events, and so the Medical Commission would like to remind athletes and their teams of improvements to the Medical Checks.

Every athlete fills out a Medical Declaration Form, and this now includes explicit information on body-weight and dehydration. This form must be used both by senior (athletes aged 18 and over) and youth athletes.

Dr Erdogan Aydin, head of the medical commission said: “The formal weight-cut information on the medical form is new, this is something which coaches and athletes must focus upon.

“There is now a urine density test, so if an athlete’s urine is thick which means they are dehydrated then they will be disqualified at the Weigh-In. If they do an extreme weight cut by losing water-weight they may become seriously ill or worse. We do not want weight loss through extreme body water loss.

“Also the coaches now signs the weigh-loss forms to take responsibility.”

Dr Erdogan said: “This is not an option or a choice, the athletes must follow these steps. This is especially important for youth athletes who are developing in their body and in sport.”

The form – you can read it here – states all competitive IFMA athletes must have their weight checked by a medical doctor and recorded. Then starting at four (4) weeks before each tournament, the athlete and his or her coach must record their weight weekly. Disqualification may follow if an athlete is heavier than their planned weight too close to the tournament.

And officials at the Daily Weigh-In during IFMA events will now formally monitor dehydration levels. Officials will be empowered to test urine-density when they suspect dehydration.

The Medical Declaration says: “Doctors on duty at the daily medical check are authorised  to  perform  on – the – spot urine  spectrometer  tests for  dehydration  on  any  athlete  at  any  given  time  should  symptoms  of dehydration be suspected. Any athlete with a urine density above 1.030 shall not be permitted to compete.”

This increased intense focus on dehydration is part of an overall move by IFMA and IFMA federations to improve understanding of and education about the risks of dehydration.

IFMA muaythai athletes are expected to make weight through fat-loss, not by the risky practice of water-weight loss.

Coaches with queries about this process should contact their national federation for information from medical doctors.

Download the IFMA Medical Declaration here for all IFMA tournaments.