National —
On July 30th, 2024, Mr. Preecha Lalun, the Deputy Governor for Elite Sports and Boxing of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), announced a budget allocation of 275.65 million baht for the Muay Thai Soft Power 2024 project.
This initiative aims to elevate Muay Thai from a national martial art to an internationally recognized combat sport.
The Thai Cabinet previously approved the budget proposed by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports on July 30th. The funds will be utilized across various areas: 4.93 million baht will go towards the development of Muay Thai knowledge, 46.60 million baht for enhancing personnel in the Muay Thai industry, 143.72 million baht for organizing competitions, 23.64 million baht for promotion, 51.04 million baht for standard certification, and 5.72 million baht for monitoring and evaluation, according to Preecha.
Scheduled between August and September 2024, the project aims to boost Muay Thai to global prominence and preserve it as Thailand’s cultural heritage. The initiative is expected to generate sustainable income and create job opportunities within the Muay Thai community, remarked Preecha.
Targets for 2024 include increasing the number of Thai and international Muay Thai fighters, trainers, and standard gyms. The project also aims to promote Muay Thai in 190 countries and generate an economic value of 2.33 billion baht for Thailand, concluded Preecha.
This article originally appeared on our sister website The Pattaya News.
