Bangkok: "Pai Lik" insists the 2025 SEA Games must use the name "Muay Thai" only, without any need to be concerned with Cambodia.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Pai Lik, MP for Kamphaeng Phet and president of the Kla Tham Party, as well as the president of the Kickboxing Association of Thailand, addressed the proposal to use the term "Muay" instead of "Muaythai" for the 33rd SEA Games, which Thailand will host later this year. He urged the SEA Games organizers to confirm the use of the name "Muay Thai" in the competition, as was previously used at the 27th-31st SEA Games from 2013 to 2022. In 2023, when Cambodia hosted the 32nd SEA Games, the name of the boxing competition was changed to "Kun Khmer," which they claimed was the prototype for Muay Thai.
Mr. Pai continued, "Last time, we were trampled on by Cambodia. They changed the name to Kun Khmer and distorted the Thai martial art to claim it as their own. Muay Thai is a national identity of Thailand, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has legally recognized the sport under the name 'Muaythai,' as has the responsible organization, the International Federation of Muay Thai (IFMA).
"We don't need to be afraid of Cambodians because Muay Thai is a martial art that embodies the identity of the Thai nation. It's also one of the soft power projects the Thai government is promoting to spread Thai culture internationally. We should stand firm in our national identity and not allow anyone to distort or usurp our Thai cultural identity any longer," said Mr. Pai.