Wednesday, April 01, 2009

IFMA Muay Thai from SportAccord Denver USA 2009





As the 13 IOC and or GAISF recognised martial arts prepare to send their elite athletes to a united martial art games organised by GAISF under patronage of the IOC, history is truly in the making.
Aikido, Boxing, Judo, Jiu Jitsu, Karate, Kendo, Kick Boxing, Muaythai, Sambo, Sumo, Taekwondo, Wrestling and Wushu are among these 13 martial arts.
These highly anticipated games will serve as the game of games for martial arts to be part of.
Beijing, a host city that still lingers in everyone’s memory from the unforgettable 2008 Olympic games has won the bid to host these games, the first of its kind.
GAISF President and the Chairman of the 2008 Olympic Games Coordination Committee, Mr. Hein Verbruggen along side Vice Mayor of the city of Beijing and the Chairperson of the Beijing Olympic organising committee Mr. Liu Jingmin were at the forefront of the signing ceremony which took place in the presence of the 13 Presidents and General Secretaries of the 13 participating martial arts.
Qualification events will kick off very soon across the board, and all of the 2010 MAG events will be staged in the familiar 2008 Olympic venues.
IFMA, a proud member of GAISF is looking forward to being part of this highly regarded event which serves as an important milestone for all martial arts.

Sportaccord Rocks the House







The Sportaccord opening ceremony was held on Tuesday, March 24th at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in downtown Denver. Open remarks were conducted by Denver’s Mayor John Hickenlooper and Colorado Governor, Bill Ritter. The introductions were followed by emotional speeches from GAISF President Hein Verbruggen and IOC President Jacques Rogge.
After the speeches, Sportaccord attendees were treated to a colorful ballet performance ending with a fantastic finale performance by legendary musicians Earth, Wind and Fire who rocked the audience and had them on their feet.

The Value of Giving Back – Philanthropy and Sport

Muaythai has long been involved in many charity projects and has a long standing philosophy to give back in many ways. Sportaccord featured a special workshop on philanthropy in sport with special speakers such as Andre Agassi, Kathleen Behrens, Andrea Jager, Susan Muchin, Chris Wadell. The symposium was opened by world famous ESPN journalist, Linda Cohn.
The topic of philanthropy is becoming more important in the world and business of sport. A panel of experts was assembled to discuss the opportunities available and challenge members of the sporting community.
Many questions were raised - Why and how do sports organizations and athletes get involved in philanthropy? When corporations support and involve themselves in sports philanthropy, what benefits are they seeking and how do they evaluate potential opportunities? When a sports organization gets involved, how important is athlete involvement? How can collaboration make sports philanthropy more successful for all who are involved? Is there a reason to connect major sports events with philanthropy?
IFMA is proud to be part of such a noble audience and is constantly working to incorporate philanthropy and community involvement through the sport of muaythai.







Muaythai Exhibits at Sportaccord

IFMA the world governing body for amateur muaythai was again invited to be part of the annual Sportaccord exhibition which is a key component of the conference. The sport of muaythai is included in many multi-sport competitions and participating in Sportaccord supports IFMA’s mission to become IOC recognized.
The exhibit gave IFMA the opportunity to showcase the sport of muaythai to IOC delegates, representatives of the Summer Olympics Games, and all leading representatives of the world sporting community. The IFMA booth was a popular destination with its multimedia presentation, souvenir giveaways and Contender Asia display.
















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