Martial art: Senegalese Muay Thai conquers schools and universities

The national school and university Muay Thai championship, combined with the Ambassador of Thailand Cup in Senegal, was held this Sunday in Senegal. For this inaugural event, around fifty fighters participated in the various competitions, marking a new stage in the development of Muay Thai in Senegal.

The event, organized by the Senegalese Muay Thai Association, comes just a few months after the first national championship of the discipline was held in Senegal. According to its president, Abdou Karim Diop, these competitions are sanctioned by the International Muay Thai Federation, which supports the association in its efforts to structure and promote the sport.

Muay Thai, also known as the "eight-limb martial art," is a traditional martial art originating in Thailand. Its distinctive feature lies in the use of eight contact points: the two fists, the two elbows, the two knees, and the two feet.

For the Senegalese Muay Thai Association, this competition is primarily a way to broaden the sport's appeal to young people. Founded in 2021, the association intends to make young people and women priority targets in its development strategy.

“We organized the national championship to assess the level of progress of coaches and athletes, both in terms of training and practice. And now, we are interested in university and university students,” explains Abdou Karim Diop.

A first step towards international competitions

This initiative also reflects a desire to prepare young Senegalese athletes for international competitions. The international federation organizes school and university championships that bring together affiliated countries.

For the Senegalese Muay Thai Association, this first edition represents a first step towards Senegal's potential participation in these international events. "We have just laid the first stone and we will try, in the future, God willing, to participate in these championships to showcase our athletes, both schoolchildren and university students," emphasizes the association's president.

Several delegations made the trip, notably from Saint-Louis, Louga, Fatick, Thiès and Dakar, as well as from different areas of the Dakar suburbs.

For this first edition, the organizers had initially planned to limit participation to 50 fighters, or 25 fights. Four bouts were scheduled for the Thai Ambassador's Cup and 21 for the national championship.

Faced with the large number of applications submitted by coaches, the schedule was ultimately adjusted to better manage the competition's duration. Approximately forty athletes were selected for this year's competition.