Muay Thai to make debut at Paris Olympics as demonstration event

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

The 17th polio case of the year has been confirmed in Pakistan, with a child in Islamabad paralyzed by type 1 wild poliovirus.

The National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) for Polio Eradication has launched a targeted vaccination campaign in districts where the virus has been detected and where the risk of continued transmission and spread remains high.

Health authorities have been warning about the continued presence of the virus in the environment. Since June, water samples from Islamabad and neighboring Rawalpindi have tested positive, highlighting the ongoing threat to children's health.

"We have developed clear coordination and communication channels with our provincial EOCs and district teams. We have had extensive consultative workshops with our high-risk districts to decide on and devise district improvement plans, what are remaining gaps and challenges that the program needs to overcome to move forward and interrupt the virus transmission that we're planning to do by mid-2025," said Ayesha Raza Farooq, Prime Minister's Focal Person for Polio Eradication.

In September, a nationwide polio vaccination campaign was launched that is expected to target 115 districts and aims to vaccinate over 33 million children under the age of five.

"This September drive is a special campaign. It is targeting 73 percent of our target population, involving 286,000 polio workers that will knock on every door in the 115 districts that we have identified here," Farooq said.

Experts say these efforts to reach out to families as well as to provide a clean environment are crucial, especially in areas where the virus is still present.

"The Government of Pakistan and the partners will have to improve the essential immunization services so that we cater to the missed children. And then improve case-management of malnourished children, provide clean drinking water, appropriate sanitation and hygiene services at the community level, ensure accountability, implementation of the international staff at the international and national level," said Masood Khan Jogezai, Senior Technical Consultant for Polio Eradication.

Pakistan reports country's 17th polio case in Islamabad