By the sound of it, a series of brief but electrifying Muay Thai bouts were in full swing. Thuds and smacks of kicks and punches were amplified by the synchronised and repeated chorus chants of Oh-hoy! and Tee! And yet the fighters in the ring and their buddies outside of it beamed with glee.
It was a Muay Thai fight all right, but not the one out to break bones; only to forge bonds. At the high-octane Muay Thai Roadshow on Saturday evening at Grand Hyatt Doha, nine Muay Thai boxing masters and trainers from Thailand put on a terrific show with some admirable help from the sport’s practitioners in Qatar, as a crowd of few hundreds, including diplomats and dignitaries, watched the proceedings with awe and joy. 
Organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom? of Thailand and the Royal Thai Embassy in Doha, in co-operation with Evolve: Mind Body Soul, the roadshow is sure to further boost the interest and excitement that already surrounds Muay Thai in Qatar.
From running through the basics of this Art of Eight Limbs – referred thus because using eight points of contact the body mimics weapons of war – to training of its enthusiasts in Muay Thai workshops held by Thai masters, the Muay Thai mega-show packed a tonne of fascinating elements.
Soonthorn Chaiyindeepum, ambassador of Thailand to Qatar, told Community, “It was an exciting experience for the Royal Thai Embassy to bring Muay Thai to Qatar. Muay Thai is our national sport that we are proud of and are keen to promote to the younger generation regardless of their nationality. Definitely, this is not going to be the last such event considering the strong interest shown by the Qataris and the expats who attended the show.” 
Chaiyindeepum said that the embassy is looking forward to the next roadshow, “which definitely will be more interesting”. “I wish to thank the generosity and passion of Evolve Wellness Company and Grand Hyatt Doha, our local partners. My sincere thanks also go to the Qatar Olympic Committee and the Qatar Tourism Authority for their kind support, and my ambassadorial colleagues for their presence at the event.”
Earlier this month, Chaiyindeepum had mentioned how this roadshow is the first step “towards setting up of an association of the Muay Thai lovers and boxers in Qatar that will promote the spirit of this sport in Qatar.” The large attendance and the continuous buzz in the ballroom by curious visitors on Saturday clearly showed that Muay Thai is set to be a big hit in Qatar.
The multi-faceted programme showcased the Wai Kru ceremony (a Thai ritual in which students pay respects to their teachers in order to express their gratitude and formalise the student–teacher relationship), key techniques of Muay Thai demonstration, and Muay Thai bouts between Thai boxers and local boxers.
Grandmaster Sane Tubtimtong, who is regarded as a living legend in the traditional art of Thai boxing and helms the group that came down to Qatar, explained to Community, “Muay Thai is not just for fighting. More importantly, it teaches people to become better human beings. Muay can change the bad in a person into good. It has a psychology and a deeper thought to it. As a spectator, if you look at a Muay Thai fight, it looks like the fighters will kill each other. But right after the fight, they bow to each other. Beyond the ring, they are friends.”
Tubtimtong feels that the interest and desire to take up Muay Thai is growing fast in most countries in the world. “I want to promote original Muay Thai and underline that its purpose isn’t limited to just fights, but it’s also meant for physical and mental health, and of course, fitness. Muay Thai is an excellent exercise regimen to keep up with. We can use Muay for self-defence, as a sport, for doing stunts in movies, and lastly, as a profession. It’s really up to you how you want to use it best,” he said.
In Thailand, Muay Thai boasts of a rich history and a remarkable return to the fore over the years. While several versions of the history of this national sport of Thailand exist – precious Muay Thai history was lost, for instance, when the Burmese ransacked Ayutthaya, Siam’s capital city in Thailand, during the 14th century – they are all unanimous in their inference of how Muay Thai was “the primary and most effective method of self-defence used by Thai warriors on the battlefields of conflicts and wars that occurred countless times throughout the history of the nation now known as Thailand.”
For Tubtimtong, the Muay Thai journey began at a very young age. “When I was a boy, I had begun learning it as I come from a family of fighters. In earlier days, everybody in Thailand would learn Muay Thai because families had financial problems. Practising Muay Thai was our way of earning a livelihood for our families,” he said.
At the Doha event, the feisty Thai boxers who swung into first-hand combats with Muay Thai boxers from Qatar, used to be professional Muay Thai fighters back in Thailand until they retired. “They are all in their mid-20s still, but they wanted to open Muay Thai classes all around and spread the word by touring all over. Muay Thai is like wisdom of Thai but it has been able to travel to every corner of the world,” he said.
One question that might have bothered many who attended the event was why were the fights we saw not real but toned-down and friendly? Tubtimtong explained, “We wanted Muay Thai to represent friendship and bonhomie. We wanted everybody to enjoy it without letting anyone get hurt. I was happy to see the audience so happy. I looked at the faces in the crowd and to see them enjoying it so much pleased me immensely.”
Devised with an express purpose to generate more awareness of the sport and also trigger inquisitiveness, the event certainly did its job, Tubtimtong feels. “I can tell you that many who attended are already keen to join Muay Thai classes and try it out themselves. That’s also why it was important for us to show through the live fights that it can be so much fun instead of showing how dangerous or painful professional Muay Thai can be,” he said, “I have visited several Arab countries such as Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Kuwait, and you won’t believe how well the kids over there fight Muay Thai. I believe Qatar, too, can join the Muay Thai wave. If people of Qatar can support it, Muay Thai can become really big here as well.”