Embassy plans to promote Thai sport in Oman
MUSCAT: For the first time, the Thailand Embassy in Oman will showcase its centuries-old national sport, Muay Thai, for Omani audience at the Muscat Grand Mall on Saturday.
Masters and professional boxers from Thailand have been flown in to introduce the art and science of Muay Thai or Thai boxing to martial arts enthusiasts.
“For the past few years, the Royal Thai Embassy has organised many cultural events in Oman to promote various aspects of Thainess. Muay Thai is one of the greatest treasures of Thailand that we are very proud of presenting to you for the first time in Muscat,” Thailand’s Ambassador designate to the Sultanate told the Times of Oman.
The embassy wants to promote Thai boxing in Oman as a sport and a form of exercise to keep people fit and prevents lifestyle diseases, he added.
The event, which starts at 3pm, is being held in association with the Oman Fighting Championship (OFC) and is open to all.
The origin of Muay Thai dates back to hundreds of years as a form of battlefield combat in Thailand. Over the years, it has evolved from the battlefield to the ring as a competitive sport popular in many countries, as well as a form of workout to achieve physical fitness.
Muay Thai has been incorporated as a physical exercise even in military training. It has been refined and developed, blended with modern boxing, but still keeps the features of the ‘art of eight limbs’ which uses the fists, elbows, knees and shins for fighting.