Annoucement of USA Muaythai’s Participation in the 2022 World Games

Written by Pari Aryafar

Photos by Jeff Dojillo

For the United States Muaythai Federation

OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE UNITED STATES MUAYTHAI FEDERATION:

The last year for athletes across the world has been incredibly difficult due to the ongoing pandemic, leading to a loss of opportunities for competition and participation. However, one bright beacon of light lays ahead for competitors, in the name of the international World Games.

The World Games mission statement highlights that, “the principal goal of The World Games 2022 Birmingham Foundation is to produce Olympic-quality competitions that showcase and increase awareness for the participating sports, athletes and countries.”

For American Muaythai athletes in particular, this is an incredible opportunity to represent the United States and earn international experience by competing against the world’s best. 37 International Sports Federations make up the International World Games Association (IWGA), and they are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The inclusion of Muaythai in the World Games only brings us one step closer to participating in the Olympics, a long sought-after goal for many athletes. 

Two notable contenders last represented the United States in 2017 when the World Games was held in Wroclaw, Poland, where Muaythai was included for the first time – ONE Championship’s Atomweight Kickboxing Champion Janet Todd and GLORY Kickboxing Welterweight Troy Jones. Todd achieved a bronze medal and competed among prestigious athletes such as Sofia Olofsson and Nili Block. Both Todd and Jones have gone on to have extraordinary successful careers.. It is the USMF’s hope that all athletes who participate and represent the red, white, and blue, will utilize the experience gained from the World Games to help lead the charge towards competing in the Olympics. 

While the sport is still some years away from inclusion within the Olympics, events such as the International Federation of Muaythai Associations (IFMA) World Championships and the World Games are perfect opportunities for athletes to fight at the highest level possible. This also helps federations become even more uniform in understanding how to judge and referee at an international skillset. With the World Games being held in Alabama, this is a chance for the American Muaythai community to watch and learn how the rest of the world is approaching Muaythai. 

Additionally, as many previous athletes and coaches know, this opportunity to have the World Games in the United States backyard is an almost unheard of good fortune. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for athletes’ family and friends to come watch them compete, as well as live through the experience of such a high-level international competition. 

In the upcoming months, the USMF will be sharing more information about how to participate, ways that fellow athletes can be supported, the history of this prestigious event, and what this means for the future of Muaythai.

The 11th World Games will be held July 2022, in Birmingham, Alabama.