Muay Thai, the national sport of Thailand, will be featured as a demonstration event in Paris for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games.
Fighters from 24 countries will have the opportunity to showcase their skills in a specially-constructed Muay Thai stadium at Club France, laying a foundation for the fighting style to become an official Olympic event.
Muay Thai is a martial art where grace and ferocity coexist. Each strike is delivered with devastating precision, fighters push themselves to their limits, and the audience is drawn into their struggle.
With dreams of the sport making its Olympic debut growing bigger, the progress also comes with concerns that Muay Thai could lose its ancient traditions, as fighters wear little safety gear and the sport allows some moves that are banned in other forms of kickboxing. But following the sport’s Olympic recognition in 2021 after a two-decade journey, there has been a concerted effort to enhance safety by standardizing rules and improving safety protocols.
For now though, Thais are rejoicing that Muay Thai is one step closer to its Olympic dream.
"Thai people have been waiting for Muay Thai to be included in the Olympics for a long time. If it is included in the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles, it would be a huge success that is most worth the wait," said Thana Chaiprasit, vice president of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand.
As Muay Thai's popularity continues to soar, its influence is spreading far beyond its birthplace. Today there are more than 40,000 Thai boxing gyms worldwide, a growing legion of fighters.
Yet, there is one whose name stands above the rest, synonymous with both the ancient art and its modern resurgence -- Buakaw Banchamek. Boasting over 240 career wins and 74 knockouts, his influence transcends the ring as he is set to perform a Muay Thai demonstration at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"As someone who has helped promote this martial art around the world, I want people to appreciate the art of Muay Thai. We want to develop this to be an international sport where everyone accepts its rules and regulations. This important step excites our whole country as our fighters and our art form will be included in the world's biggest sporting event," said Buakaw.
Muay Thai to make debut at Paris Olympics as demonstration event
A Chinese envoy on Thursday called on all peace-loving countries to promote the implementation of the two-state solution as it is the sole viable solution to the Middle East issue.
The call was made by China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations Geng Shuang at a commemoration marking the 77th anniversary of the Nakba ("catastrophe" in Arabic) which was held by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
The Nakaba refers to the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. It remains a deeply traumatic event in the Palestinian collective memory and continues to shape their struggle for justice and for their right to return to their homes.
Urging steps to realize a comprehensive and lasting solution to the Palestinian question, Geng stressed that only through the implementation of the two-state solution can the Nakba be consigned to history.
Seventy-seven years ago, more than half of the Palestinian people were expelled or fled from their homes during the Arab-Israeli war, and they have since embarked on the arduous journey of striving for their legitimate rights and interests, Geng said.
"Today, 77 years later, the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people has not only remained unaddressed, but has even worsened," he pointed out.
Noting the question of Palestine, at the core of the Middle East issue, bears on peace, stability, and long-term security of the region, Geng said the implementation of the two-State solution is the only viable way to resolve the question.
The imperative now is to immediately realize a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and alleviate the humanitarian disaster, Geng said, urging Israel to implement the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, comply with the International Court of Justice provisional measures and advisory opinion, and immediately cease all military attacks and violations of international law, especially the International Humanitarian Law.
"On the question of Palestine, China, upholding fairness and justice, remains steadfast in its support for the justice cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights for the early establishment of the fully sovereign and independent State of Palestine based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, and for the early admission of the State of Palestine as a full member of the United Nations," Geng added.
Chinese envoy stresses two-state solution as sole viable solution to Middle East issue
