Thailand Kickboxing Championship makes its debut this month, with aim to tap new talent

The tournament aims to promote the sport and also recruit athletes for the Thai national team in three age categories: 13 to 15 years old, 16 to 18 years, and 19 to 40 years.

It will be conducted as per the rules of the World Association of Kickboxing Organisation (WAKO).

The tournament is the latest move by the Kickboxing Association of Thailand to promote the sport, which has enjoyed an increase in popularity since its success at the SEA Games in Vietnam earlier this year.

“As it is similar to Muay Thai, the country’s traditional sport, kickboxing has become more and more popular among the Thai people,” General Kookiat Srinaka, a senior official from the Kickboxing Association of Thailand, said on Tuesday at a press conference.

“Interestingly, our athletes performed well, winning two gold medals at the SEA Games in Vietnam in May. With that, we have received more support from the Sports Authority of Thailand [SAT] and also the National Sports Development Fund to continue our work in developing our athletes and management to meet international standards. Among their support is the Thailand Kickboxing Championship 2022.”

Of the 12 gold medals on offer at the SEA Games in Vietnam, Thailand took home two gold, four silver and six bronze medals while the hosts bagged five gold medals. The other titles went to the Philippines (2), Indonesia (2) and Cambodia (1).

SAT governor Kongsak Yodmanee said that kickboxing is well recognised and gaining more popularity throughout the world.

Apart from being an exercise, the sport also offers a career, and the SAT hopes the tournament will attract a large number of fans and find good athletes to represent Thailand, he said.

“Nowadays, more Muay Thai fighters are taking part in kickboxing and many of them have performed well on the international stage. We have given our full support to the association to host the competition so that they can recruit more fine athletes to represent the country,” he said.

Kickboxing is now a discipline at many international sporting events, including the SEA Games, World Games and World Combat Games as well as the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games to take place in Thailand next year.

Meanwhile, Muay Thai superstar Buakaw Banchamek, who managed the Thai team that won two kickboxing gold medals in Vietnam, said that despite being popular among the Thais, kickboxing is quite new to them in terms of rules and judging.

The Thailand Kickboxing Championship 2022 will not only help the sport in general but also allow involved parties to learn about its rules and other important issues, he said.

“With this tournament, we will get more fighters for the national team. It will promote the sport and allow involved parties to learn new things about kickboxing,” said Buakaw, who is also a board member of the association.

Supranee Guptasa, manager of the National Sports Development Fund, praised the association for winning two gold medals at the 2022 SEA Games even though the sport is relatively new in the country.