The Macau Forum hosted a fantasical opening ceremony filled with dance, music and of course sport with lots to entertain the watching athletes and fans. It was a real tribute to the hard work of the Macau Muaythai Association and partners.

The evening got off to an exciting start when some of Macau’s most popular social influencers descended on the event, ready to record everything. They were closely followed by a different kind of influencer – representatives of political support for the event from the The Sports Bureau of Macao SAR Government and the Macao Government Tourism Office.

The stage was set-up in the centre of the stadium, meaning all of the teams had a great view of the entertainment. Each team sent two athletes to hold their national flag, and join the parade along with athletes carrying the IFMA and FAMA flags.

The cutting of the ribbon was done by Dr Alexis Tam, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture in unison with a line of dignitaries, naturally including Mr Wu Wei Keong, president of the Macau Muaythai Association.

IFMA was represented by Dr Sakchye Tapsuwan, president and also by Stephan Fox, general secretary. Mr Mervyn Tan (Singapore), general secretary of FAMA also joined and supported the celebrations.

The dance segments showed the long history of muaythai and Macau. First up were three demonstration teams of the ancient art of Muay Boran.

This was followed by a jaw-dropping display of Lion Dancing with three sumptuously coloured Lions taking over the stage. The acrobats danced, twisted and jumped with abandon to the delight of the crowd.

The venue is just a short walk away from the athletes’ hotel, so everyone was home in time to get a good rest before tomorrow’s opening bouts.

Follow IFMA on social media for updates and to get behind-the-scenes footage of the athletes:

IFMA Facebook        IFMA Instagram    IFMA Twitter   and of course live action on the IFMA Youtube Channel.