Although, in Khanh Hoa Province, muay Thai has not developed as strongly as other martial arts, Khanh Hoa's muay Thai has gradually asserted its position in the domestic tournaments.
Although, in Khanh Hoa Province, muay Thai has not developed as strongly as other martial arts, Khanh Hoa’s muay Thai has gradually asserted its position in the domestic tournaments.
Khanh Hoa’s muay Thai team has recently gained good achievements at the 2015 national muay Thai tournament held in Binh Phuoc Province. Specifically, all five athletes of Khanh Hoa won medals at the tournament.
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This year’s national tournament was joined by over 150 male and female athletes of 17 teams over the country. Reportedly, Muay Thai appeared in Vietnam around ten years ago; however, its techniques and practical usefulness has made this combat sport become favored by many people. Some provinces and units in Vietnam having strong development of muay Thai are Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Son La, the Police, etc.
Muay Thai is still a young sport in Khanh Hoa. Reportedly, muay Thai club of Phi Long Chanh Club is the cradle of muay Thai in Khanh Hoa. At first, the club only included around seven muay Thai practicers. Over five years, the number of practicers is now 30 ones. According to Ly Hoang Phong, coach of Khanh Hoa Provincial muay Thai team, beside the techniques, muay Thai competition requires the strength and stamina of the athletes, which easily cause trauma. Therefore, there have not been many people practicing muay Thai. This is also one of the reasons why muay Thai has not developed strongly.
Under this difficult circumstance, it is worth encouraging the efforts to maintain muay Thai of Phi Long Chanh Club in particular and Khanh Hoa Provincial muay Thai team.
In 2013, Khanh Hoa Province incorporated muay Thai into the province’s system of high-achievement sports. Since then, the provincial muay Thai team has regularly asserted their position at the domestic tournaments. For example, at the national muay Thai tournament 2015, the team with five athletes won five sets of medals; two among five athletes were bestowed the title “master” while one athlete gained “level-1” title.
The achievements that Khanh Hoa Provincial muay Thai gained at this year national tournament showed the potential of this martial art.
An Nhien
Translated by H.N
