Pimol Srivikorn, president of the Taekwondo Association of Thailand who is responsible for sports on the National Soft Power Strategy Committee, said the government will send Muay Thai boxing trainers abroad this April as part of the government soft power strategy while planning to expand training and certification centers to cover nationwide provinces this March.
Pimol who is also advisor to the Prime Minister said that the Muay Thai promotion as Thailand’s soft power is going on satisfactorily. The standard of the trainers is increasing significantly as the training courses, testing and certification standard are set to reach the international level to prepare the trainers for holding Thai boxing classes abroad.
He said that by this March, the Sport Authority of Thailand will open the certification centers that can issue certificates to Muay Thai boxing trainers which are verified by the government agencies including the Sport Authority of Thailand, Tourism and Sports Ministry, Department of Skill Development. The centers will be located in five major provinces – Chiang Mai, Songkhla, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chonburi and Bangkok that will cover all area nationwide.
A road show of short training class, taught by Thai well-known master class boxers will offer one day training course for interested people abroad, beginning in Europe and Middle East.
This coming April, he said, eight Muay Thai boxing trainers – both men and women, which were verified by the government will travel to Saudi Arabia to teach the traditional Thai martial arts to Saudi Arabian army and the members of national Saudi boxing team.
The boxing classes will be made upon the request via Thai embassy at Riyadh. It is considered the good way to promote Thai traditions to the world as one of the soft power that could eventually generate income for the boxing trainers.
Each boxing trainers traveling abroad will receive between 80,000-120,000 baht monthly, depending on the experiences and the performance. (TNA)
