WBC President Meets with Thailand Prime Minister
By Fatsoking
The World Boxing Council (WBC) though being relatively new at independent sanctioning for Muay Thai is making some big moves. In early March 2010 Jose Suliaman, president of the WBC met with Thailand’s Prime Minister to discuss Muay Thai safety. Although other independent sanctioning bodies in Muay Thai get their share of press and in my opinion a great deal more than their deserved share of press the WBC’s latest actions seemed to go mostly under the radar.
Jose Suliaman And Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva
The focus for the meeting between WBC President Jose Suliaman and Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Veijajiva was on safety. Suliaman made a plea for the establishment of a Thai national medical commission covering both international boxing and Muay Thai. The Prime Minister has agreed he will begin with an intial finding committee in order to compile research data that is germane to the creation of such a committee.
The Prime Minister also included life after fighting and wanted to ensure that there would be work programs set up for boxers who underwent drug addiction rehabilitaion to prevent drug addiction and relapsing back into drug use. It should be noted the Prime Minister himself has undergone drug rehabilitation.
Suliaman said on drug addiction: Drug addiction is the death of people. Rehabilitation brings these dead people back to life, but they will relapse if they don’t get work and live with self esteem
Sulaiman also commented on the WBC’s role in advancing Muay Thai internationally.
“His Majesty wanted the great Muay Thai boxers to attain the status of WBC Muay Thai world champions and to compete at the highest level possible,” Sulaiman said. “The WBC under General Kovid has now put Muay Thai onto the highest level in the world. We have established rankings in 19 weight divisions and the WBC green belt is awarded to world, international and national champions worldwide. “Since the WBC took Muay Thai under its umbrella everyone knows the difference between Muay Thai and kickboxing.”
Hopefully the needs for safety in Muay Thai both in Thailand and in the world gets more attention. Unlike some of Suliaman’s activities this is actually one in my opinion that has merit. While this particular effort gets quite a bit less notice than the creation of another trinket title or indulgence in a vanity project with reality television programming it deserves much more. Thanks for reading.
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