One of Bangkok’s most literally, iconic locations, the ICON Siam, came alive for the second day of the Soft Power Muaythai World Festival on Monday 4th of December 2023. The first day was hosted by the Ministry of Commerce, and the second day was hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, the Sport Authority of Thailand, the National Sports Development Fund, the Amateur Muaythai Association of Thailand, and the world governing body of muaythai, IFMA.
The entire event was youth-centric, covering all aspects of muaythai with wai kru and mae muay competitions, and of course, youth competitions, all under the IFMA safety rules.
The event started with a multitude of youth activities around the numerous booths, followed by a breathtaking performance and thereafter followed by the youth bouts, where youths from all Thai provinces came together to compete in the spirit of fair play, promoting safe muaythai under IFMA, recognized by the Olympic Council of Asia and the International Olympic Committee.
The afternoon started with a youth seminar on fair play and anti-doping where ITA Education Ambassador and formed muaythai world champion, Janice Lyn, spoke to the youth on fairplay, IFMA’s zero tolerance against doping, the strict cooperation with ITA and WADA, and the efforts on prevention through detection and deterrence and certainly education. In short it was an afternoon, packed with engaging activities and fun.
UTS CEO, Julia Govinden, spoke on the fundamental values of fair play, which are certainly very important to sport, but also in everyday life. One of IFMA’s Youth Ambassadors, Parth Talawar, gave an emotional speech about fair play on all levels, fostering friendship and how friendships can blossom through noble rivalries.
The afternoon program had 40 youth contests with a packed audience from around the world. The ICON Siam Cup, in cooperation with IFMA and AMTAT was awarded to the outstanding athlete of fair play, Pimlapat Roykaew Sit Kungkaosarn Samutprakarn Gym. The youths were treated like celebrities, with the proper walkout tributes complete with fireworks and music.
Dato Shah Azmi, IFMA Chair of Education Commission and FAMA Vice President, stated “This event was the perfect mix of education, competition, festival, and fun. It was a day to remember for all the participating youth. And this is IFMA, putting the youth at the heart of all its events.”
