1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,240
Speaker 1: this is a C. N. A. Podcast.

2
00:00:06,900 --> 00:00:10,530
Speaker 2: Um wait I matches nothing short of an assault on

3
00:00:10,530 --> 00:00:14,460
Speaker 2: the senses. The lights are bright, the crowds are loud,

4
00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:18,860
Speaker 2: the movements are swift and glory is the goal weight.

5
00:00:18,860 --> 00:00:22,620
Speaker 2: I literally translated as thai boxing dates back to the

6
00:00:22,635 --> 00:00:26,575
Speaker 2: 13th century and has been called the art of eight limbs,

7
00:00:26,595 --> 00:00:29,905
Speaker 2: a symbol of thai national pride. It has come to

8
00:00:29,905 --> 00:00:34,795
Speaker 2: embody the country's culture and history, but what happens when

9
00:00:34,795 --> 00:00:38,205
Speaker 2: the rest of the world begins to claim it as theirs?

10
00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:43,120
Speaker 2: Hello and welcome to CNN correspondent. I'm your host, Teresa

11
00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:46,279
Speaker 2: Tang on today's edition. We speak to succeed size. Um

12
00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:49,490
Speaker 2: but about the past, present and future of the fight

13
00:00:49,740 --> 00:00:54,000
Speaker 2: and why some are worried about its potential. Olympic debut.

14
00:00:55,010 --> 00:00:57,260
Speaker 2: Happy New Year socks. It's great to see you, great

15
00:00:57,260 --> 00:00:57,930
Speaker 2: to have you on

16
00:00:57,940 --> 00:00:59,320
Speaker 1: Happy New Year, Teresa

17
00:00:59,330 --> 00:01:02,860
Speaker 2: Reflecting on 2022, you have said that one of the

18
00:01:02,860 --> 00:01:06,450
Speaker 2: highlights of last year was taking a deep dive into

19
00:01:06,450 --> 00:01:09,530
Speaker 2: the sport of Muay Thai and covering it was actually

20
00:01:09,530 --> 00:01:12,069
Speaker 2: a bucket list item for you tell us why was

21
00:01:12,069 --> 00:01:14,530
Speaker 2: telling the story of this sport so important.

22
00:01:14,530 --> 00:01:17,430
Speaker 1: Yeah, it was a very important story for me because

23
00:01:17,430 --> 00:01:19,929
Speaker 1: you know, when you ask people what they think of Thailand,

24
00:01:19,930 --> 00:01:20,500
Speaker 1: it's the food,

25
00:01:20,513 --> 00:01:23,853
Speaker 1: its temples, but then not very far after that, it's

26
00:01:23,853 --> 00:01:27,043
Speaker 1: my thai, it's thai boxing. So something that is so

27
00:01:27,043 --> 00:01:30,303
Speaker 1: synonymous with the country and its culture that deserves to

28
00:01:30,303 --> 00:01:34,153
Speaker 1: be highlighted at a very interesting juncture point. So you know,

29
00:01:34,153 --> 00:01:37,473
Speaker 1: we had the pandemic for almost three years and I

30
00:01:37,473 --> 00:01:40,033
Speaker 1: was also affected because of that. There were no fights,

31
00:01:40,033 --> 00:01:42,212
Speaker 1: a lot of gyms, a lot of fighters, a lot

32
00:01:42,212 --> 00:01:44,643
Speaker 1: of cultures, they had nothing to do. They also had

33
00:01:44,643 --> 00:01:46,000
Speaker 1: no income when the law

34
00:01:46,016 --> 00:01:49,636
Speaker 1: lockdowns were lifted. It was interesting to see how everybody

35
00:01:49,636 --> 00:01:53,666
Speaker 1: is trying to reset themselves. Everybody is trying to prepare

36
00:01:53,666 --> 00:01:56,246
Speaker 1: themselves for a new future and you know, we have

37
00:01:56,246 --> 00:01:59,486
Speaker 1: highlighted some new players coming in with fresh new ideas,

38
00:01:59,496 --> 00:02:04,086
Speaker 1: how to find new audiences for the spot. That's one

39
00:02:04,086 --> 00:02:06,236
Speaker 1: of the aspects that we highlight in this story, but

40
00:02:06,236 --> 00:02:08,395
Speaker 1: we also look at the future, how else it could

41
00:02:08,395 --> 00:02:08,966
Speaker 1: look like.

42
00:02:09,236 --> 00:02:11,500
Speaker 2: It's clear passion for the sport has grown

43
00:02:11,519 --> 00:02:15,329
Speaker 2: far beyond Thailand's borders, there are entire stadiums right and

44
00:02:15,329 --> 00:02:19,639
Speaker 2: dedicated to hosting major sparring events, foreigners, they've been picking

45
00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:22,479
Speaker 2: up their gloves and droves and of course it's become

46
00:02:22,479 --> 00:02:26,549
Speaker 2: a very lucrative. Business sucks with what has been driving

47
00:02:26,549 --> 00:02:27,509
Speaker 2: this popularity.

48
00:02:27,699 --> 00:02:32,229
Speaker 1: We have seen new money coming in and new investors

49
00:02:32,239 --> 00:02:36,929
Speaker 1: in the big Bangkok thai stadium Lucchini. Those are the biggest,

50
00:02:37,022 --> 00:02:40,912
Speaker 1: most prestigious venues for muay thai and they come in

51
00:02:40,912 --> 00:02:44,212
Speaker 1: with new ideas, they all think they can revolutionize the spot,

52
00:02:44,212 --> 00:02:47,931
Speaker 1: get new audiences and prepared for new social media savvy

53
00:02:47,942 --> 00:02:51,702
Speaker 1: overall speaking, it is a unique spot because unlike kickboxing

54
00:02:51,702 --> 00:02:54,092
Speaker 1: for example, you you said to yourself it is the

55
00:02:54,092 --> 00:02:56,401
Speaker 1: art of the eight limbs, you are allowed to use

56
00:02:56,401 --> 00:02:59,962
Speaker 1: the elbows, your knees, you can throw your opponent, which

57
00:02:59,962 --> 00:03:02,510
Speaker 1: is not very common in other combat sports. And

58
00:03:02,525 --> 00:03:05,145
Speaker 1: for foreigners, why are they drawn to that? Of course

59
00:03:05,145 --> 00:03:08,125
Speaker 1: they saw the spots themselves even more nowadays on social

60
00:03:08,125 --> 00:03:11,255
Speaker 1: media but also there were movies based on a bad

61
00:03:11,255 --> 00:03:13,535
Speaker 1: example was all the jean Claude van Damme movies in

62
00:03:13,535 --> 00:03:17,575
Speaker 1: the eighties. But the modern more representative movies was on

63
00:03:17,575 --> 00:03:20,025
Speaker 1: back for example, in the two thousands with Tony job

64
00:03:20,035 --> 00:03:22,895
Speaker 1: for many foreigners I spoke to that was actually the

65
00:03:22,895 --> 00:03:24,485
Speaker 1: inspiration to take up the sport.

66
00:03:24,675 --> 00:03:28,025
Speaker 2: It's definitely become pretty mainstream. And you mentioned

67
00:03:28,180 --> 00:03:32,109
Speaker 2: The world stage the sport. It's included in various multi

68
00:03:32,110 --> 00:03:35,660
Speaker 2: sport events such as the world games for instance. But

69
00:03:35,660 --> 00:03:39,800
Speaker 2: let's talk about the Olympics. This combat sports secured Olympic

70
00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:42,190
Speaker 2: recognition in 2021

71
00:03:42,330 --> 00:03:45,320
Speaker 2: and it's actually eligible to be included in the Summer Games.

72
00:03:45,380 --> 00:03:48,720
Speaker 2: But here comes the controversy. Right? Tell us about that.

73
00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:51,540
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean there's always light and shadow about these things. Right.

74
00:03:51,550 --> 00:03:54,750
Speaker 1: First of all, the fact that it had gained recognition

75
00:03:54,750 --> 00:03:57,089
Speaker 1: by the International olympic committee or the I. O. C.

76
00:03:57,090 --> 00:04:00,840
Speaker 1: In 2021 made it actually eligible to be taken up

77
00:04:00,850 --> 00:04:03,350
Speaker 1: in all these multi sport events like the World Games

78
00:04:03,350 --> 00:04:06,370
Speaker 1: which is basically some games for all non olympic sports.

79
00:04:06,370 --> 00:04:08,850
Speaker 1: It took place last year in Alabama in the

80
00:04:08,873 --> 00:04:12,163
Speaker 1: United States. But international muay thai and thai muay thai

81
00:04:12,163 --> 00:04:15,963
Speaker 1: are very similar but they have some slightly different rule

82
00:04:15,963 --> 00:04:19,063
Speaker 1: sets for a very simple example in traditional muay thai

83
00:04:19,063 --> 00:04:22,813
Speaker 1: you fight five rounds in international muay thai you fight

84
00:04:22,813 --> 00:04:27,402
Speaker 1: Only three rounds and there are also other stipulations for examples,

85
00:04:27,403 --> 00:04:30,043
Speaker 1: in some cases in some weight class you have to

86
00:04:30,043 --> 00:04:33,343
Speaker 1: wear headgear. So this is something that irks traditionalists, they

87
00:04:33,343 --> 00:04:35,393
Speaker 1: say like it's diluting the spot,

88
00:04:35,416 --> 00:04:37,716
Speaker 1: this has nothing to do with it and there's a

89
00:04:37,716 --> 00:04:40,186
Speaker 1: bigger fear that you know many of the traditions like

90
00:04:40,196 --> 00:04:43,505
Speaker 1: the pre fight ritual, the White Crow, which is basically

91
00:04:43,516 --> 00:04:46,936
Speaker 1: a ritual dance by the fighters and paying respects to

92
00:04:46,936 --> 00:04:50,846
Speaker 1: the masters, the samara music, the music that you hear

93
00:04:50,896 --> 00:04:53,635
Speaker 1: in the background of every multi fight, they're afraid that

94
00:04:53,636 --> 00:04:56,076
Speaker 1: this is all going to be gone. And actually I

95
00:04:56,076 --> 00:04:59,126
Speaker 1: was watching the World Games fights of muay thai to

96
00:04:59,126 --> 00:05:01,616
Speaker 1: an untrained eye like me, it doesn't look much different,

97
00:05:01,616 --> 00:05:01,960
Speaker 1: but

98
00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:04,930
Speaker 1: I was watching the thai feed and the thai commentators

99
00:05:04,930 --> 00:05:08,190
Speaker 1: were just grumbling the whole time saying like what is this?

100
00:05:08,190 --> 00:05:10,210
Speaker 1: This is not my tie, I'm not sure if this

101
00:05:10,210 --> 00:05:13,020
Speaker 1: is actually what I want to represent to the whole world.

102
00:05:13,020 --> 00:05:16,099
Speaker 1: But the thing is that there is an effort to

103
00:05:16,100 --> 00:05:19,010
Speaker 1: take it internationally and also to standardize it and we're

104
00:05:19,010 --> 00:05:21,900
Speaker 1: going to hear from Stephen Fox is the secretary

105
00:05:21,915 --> 00:05:25,025
Speaker 1: general of the international muay thai associations which is the

106
00:05:25,035 --> 00:05:29,325
Speaker 1: only organization that is recognized by the IOC he is

107
00:05:29,325 --> 00:05:32,105
Speaker 1: a former muay thai fighter himself, he was also a

108
00:05:32,105 --> 00:05:35,685
Speaker 1: host of multi based reality show and he tackles the

109
00:05:35,685 --> 00:05:38,695
Speaker 1: criticism but he actually says what is the main motivations

110
00:05:38,695 --> 00:05:39,755
Speaker 1: of his organization? I

111
00:05:39,765 --> 00:05:42,635
Speaker 2: Think that we are controlling them and that we are

112
00:05:42,635 --> 00:05:48,015
Speaker 2: trying to put the spot under one umbrella and regulated. No,

113
00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:53,159
Speaker 2: our aim is to protect the most important efforts any

114
00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:56,760
Speaker 2: society has any sport has. We try to protect our

115
00:05:56,760 --> 00:05:58,880
Speaker 2: youth because if we cannot do this, then we have

116
00:05:58,880 --> 00:05:59,540
Speaker 2: no future.

117
00:05:59,770 --> 00:06:03,240
Speaker 2: So Mr Fox there, he's arguing, critics just want to

118
00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:06,050
Speaker 2: monopolize the sport. But then on the other hand, as

119
00:06:06,050 --> 00:06:09,380
Speaker 2: you say, purists are really worried that once the world

120
00:06:09,380 --> 00:06:12,109
Speaker 2: gets its hands on my tie that the soul of

121
00:06:12,110 --> 00:06:15,490
Speaker 2: the sport, those rituals and dances are going to be lost.

122
00:06:15,500 --> 00:06:18,050
Speaker 2: So how are we going to strike a balance? Well,

123
00:06:18,060 --> 00:06:20,600
Speaker 2: we're going to unpack that next. Stay with us more

124
00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:22,599
Speaker 2: with sucks its size on boat coming up.

125
00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:32,560
Speaker 2: Are you looking for ways to make your money work

126
00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:36,930
Speaker 2: harder for you or need tips on saving, investing and

127
00:06:36,930 --> 00:06:41,599
Speaker 2: making financial decisions. Join me, Sarah Khaldi on money talks,

128
00:06:41,670 --> 00:06:46,969
Speaker 2: CNN's top personal finance podcast from investment basics too.

129
00:06:46,985 --> 00:06:50,735
Speaker 2: The fire movement and legacy planning. I look at financial

130
00:06:50,735 --> 00:06:54,145
Speaker 2: trends and new stories that matter to you. Check out

131
00:06:54,154 --> 00:06:57,285
Speaker 2: our complete playlist on the C. N A Ap apple

132
00:06:57,285 --> 00:07:01,404
Speaker 2: and google podcasts or Spotify. You can also follow us

133
00:07:01,415 --> 00:07:04,035
Speaker 2: or subscribe for new weekly episodes.

134
00:07:09,550 --> 00:07:13,350
Speaker 2: Welcome back to CNN correspondent socks. If you also sat

135
00:07:13,350 --> 00:07:17,530
Speaker 2: down with Sylvie von Douglas to she's an American. She

136
00:07:17,530 --> 00:07:22,500
Speaker 2: started her journey some 12 years ago and she's recorded

137
00:07:22,500 --> 00:07:26,190
Speaker 2: over 270 fights, which is the most by a foreigner

138
00:07:26,190 --> 00:07:29,150
Speaker 2: in Thailand male or female. Let's talk about her. But

139
00:07:29,150 --> 00:07:31,860
Speaker 2: first up let's listen to what she told you about

140
00:07:31,860 --> 00:07:34,510
Speaker 2: why culture is so central to the sport.

141
00:07:35,020 --> 00:07:37,580
Speaker 2: I think that there's a folly to the people who

142
00:07:37,580 --> 00:07:39,210
Speaker 2: only want to dip their toe in and then go

143
00:07:39,210 --> 00:07:43,090
Speaker 2: home and call themselves crew. People who really love my tie,

144
00:07:43,100 --> 00:07:45,910
Speaker 2: who really get hooked by it and see it for

145
00:07:45,910 --> 00:07:49,250
Speaker 2: what it is, understand what it is to fall down

146
00:07:49,250 --> 00:07:52,840
Speaker 2: that rabbit hole and to come here and to feel

147
00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:55,890
Speaker 2: like you're constantly learning you are forever. The student,

148
00:07:56,490 --> 00:07:59,530
Speaker 2: Sylvie, they're very clear that the heart of muay thai

149
00:07:59,540 --> 00:08:02,530
Speaker 2: is thai but socks with what needs to be done

150
00:08:02,530 --> 00:08:05,630
Speaker 2: to ensure that other athletes embrace that perspective too.

151
00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:08,380
Speaker 1: I think Sylvie, very impressive woman and she is a

152
00:08:08,380 --> 00:08:11,830
Speaker 1: very good example of somebody who is not only interested

153
00:08:11,830 --> 00:08:14,370
Speaker 1: in the spot itself, but also the culture behind it.

154
00:08:14,380 --> 00:08:17,300
Speaker 1: For example, she maintains an online library of all the

155
00:08:17,300 --> 00:08:18,510
Speaker 1: old grandma

156
00:08:18,970 --> 00:08:22,660
Speaker 1: and all the old legends. It's interesting because her journey

157
00:08:22,660 --> 00:08:25,010
Speaker 1: started not in Thailand, it started back home in the

158
00:08:25,010 --> 00:08:28,400
Speaker 1: United States and she was training under a time master,

159
00:08:28,540 --> 00:08:31,480
Speaker 1: but it wasn't until she moved to Thailand when she

160
00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:35,170
Speaker 1: actually got the sport basically, she finally saw the spot

161
00:08:35,390 --> 00:08:39,220
Speaker 1: in its cultural context, similar to other cultural goods, right?

162
00:08:39,230 --> 00:08:40,540
Speaker 1: We all like food, but we

163
00:08:40,550 --> 00:08:44,079
Speaker 1: like foreign food as well, but we kind of understand,

164
00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:46,359
Speaker 1: we can read it up about where it comes from

165
00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:49,010
Speaker 1: and what makes the dish that dish, but in some

166
00:08:49,010 --> 00:08:51,040
Speaker 1: cases you only really get it when you actually go

167
00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:53,630
Speaker 1: to that place and see its origins. So it's very

168
00:08:53,630 --> 00:08:56,219
Speaker 1: similar here in this case as well that you can

169
00:08:56,220 --> 00:08:59,000
Speaker 1: only really understand the spot once you are surrounded by it.

170
00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:02,569
Speaker 1: And also it's interesting because she said that

171
00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:07,260
Speaker 1: there's a difference in stakes for foreigners and ties, you know,

172
00:09:07,260 --> 00:09:10,750
Speaker 1: for many ties, especially for many young ties. This is

173
00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:13,319
Speaker 1: a way out of poverty and that's why the stakes

174
00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:16,010
Speaker 1: are much higher for many foreigners, they can afford to

175
00:09:16,010 --> 00:09:18,370
Speaker 1: come to Thailand they can afford to learn it. So

176
00:09:18,370 --> 00:09:20,729
Speaker 1: that's why they don't have that many steaks, they can

177
00:09:20,730 --> 00:09:22,979
Speaker 1: come here learn a little bit and they can always

178
00:09:22,980 --> 00:09:25,370
Speaker 1: go home. You can see that there's a little bit

179
00:09:25,370 --> 00:09:27,250
Speaker 1: of discrepancy of how these things

180
00:09:27,260 --> 00:09:29,480
Speaker 1: going on. The question is. And one of the main

181
00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:34,170
Speaker 1: questions in my piece was basically, does anybody, any athlete,

182
00:09:34,170 --> 00:09:35,870
Speaker 1: no matter where they come from, do they have to

183
00:09:35,870 --> 00:09:39,099
Speaker 1: come to Thailand in order to be successful in the sport,

184
00:09:39,110 --> 00:09:41,840
Speaker 1: not to understand the spot, but too successful in the sport.

185
00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:45,360
Speaker 1: You can again put the same argument that in football,

186
00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:47,630
Speaker 1: yes it is played everywhere in the world, but you

187
00:09:47,630 --> 00:09:49,860
Speaker 1: won't make it big until you play in the big

188
00:09:49,860 --> 00:09:51,590
Speaker 1: european leagues. So

189
00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:54,580
Speaker 1: in order to get a little bit of a different perspective,

190
00:09:54,590 --> 00:09:58,179
Speaker 1: I also spoke to to make, he is considered one

191
00:09:58,179 --> 00:10:01,300
Speaker 1: of the legends of one of the first muay thai

192
00:10:01,300 --> 00:10:04,489
Speaker 1: fighters that actually made it big internationally. He's very famous

193
00:10:04,490 --> 00:10:08,359
Speaker 1: in Japan for example, and he actually told me why

194
00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:09,860
Speaker 1: it's important for fight,

195
00:10:10,095 --> 00:10:13,425
Speaker 1: actually come to Thailand no

196
00:10:13,425 --> 00:10:14,564
Speaker 2: matter where you're from, if it's

197
00:10:14,565 --> 00:10:15,745
Speaker 1: Thailand or somewhere

198
00:10:15,745 --> 00:10:16,665
Speaker 2: else and

199
00:10:16,665 --> 00:10:19,485
Speaker 1: where you're going to fight, all that knowledge is coming from.

200
00:10:19,915 --> 00:10:22,655
Speaker 1: If you learn muay thai, you will have the techniques

201
00:10:22,655 --> 00:10:25,675
Speaker 1: you need to compete in similar disciplines and competitions

202
00:10:25,675 --> 00:10:31,755
Speaker 2: elsewhere. We know tourism, it's hugely important to Thailand's economy

203
00:10:31,755 --> 00:10:33,555
Speaker 2: and some argue

204
00:10:33,710 --> 00:10:37,309
Speaker 2: that might i is a massive marketing campaign. The government,

205
00:10:37,309 --> 00:10:39,880
Speaker 2: let's talk about that. They're stepping up its support of

206
00:10:39,880 --> 00:10:43,250
Speaker 2: the sport so that it thrives abroad. Do you think

207
00:10:43,260 --> 00:10:46,199
Speaker 2: any muay thai athlete, no matter where they're from, needs

208
00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:48,240
Speaker 2: to go through Thailand to be successful.

209
00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:51,480
Speaker 1: Let's start off with the government's push from wait, I first,

210
00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:54,590
Speaker 1: you know, I mean, it fits into the overall push

211
00:10:54,590 --> 00:10:55,640
Speaker 1: by the thai government

212
00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:59,890
Speaker 1: to use soft power as a vehicle to promote the country.

213
00:10:59,900 --> 00:11:02,140
Speaker 1: It's interesting to see how they're using it. And they

214
00:11:02,150 --> 00:11:06,000
Speaker 1: are also teaming up with other associations and other organizations,

215
00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:08,890
Speaker 1: basically approaching it from a holistic view, for example, we

216
00:11:08,890 --> 00:11:11,540
Speaker 1: talk to the world Boxing council muay thai and they

217
00:11:11,540 --> 00:11:14,610
Speaker 1: basically said that they envisioned if for example, if

218
00:11:14,635 --> 00:11:17,435
Speaker 1: For more tie fighter comes to Thailand and they can

219
00:11:17,445 --> 00:11:19,825
Speaker 1: offer him a complete package. And if it's for example

220
00:11:19,835 --> 00:11:22,835
Speaker 1: a young and minor somebody below 18, if it's a

221
00:11:22,835 --> 00:11:25,265
Speaker 1: multi fighter then he takes the whole family with him

222
00:11:25,275 --> 00:11:28,095
Speaker 1: and that's triples the value for example. So you can

223
00:11:28,095 --> 00:11:30,104
Speaker 1: kind of see where this is coming from, they're kind

224
00:11:30,105 --> 00:11:34,025
Speaker 1: of trying to emerge sports with tourism equals money. But

225
00:11:34,025 --> 00:11:36,875
Speaker 1: then further than that, the question about do you have

226
00:11:36,875 --> 00:11:38,455
Speaker 1: to come to Thailand to be successful

227
00:11:38,650 --> 00:11:41,439
Speaker 1: when we look at other spots, judo for example, you know,

228
00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:43,730
Speaker 1: it has been olympic spot for quite a while, it's

229
00:11:43,730 --> 00:11:46,540
Speaker 1: a japanese sports deeply rooted in their culture as well.

230
00:11:46,540 --> 00:11:49,690
Speaker 1: But the most successful at the last olympic games actually

231
00:11:49,690 --> 00:11:53,439
Speaker 1: were from France and they were not based in Japan.

232
00:11:53,450 --> 00:11:56,730
Speaker 1: The flip side of it, for example also is sumo

233
00:11:56,730 --> 00:11:59,970
Speaker 1: spot again, a japanese spot that is very traditional, but

234
00:11:59,970 --> 00:12:03,070
Speaker 1: the grandmaster is mongolian or he was born raised in Mongolian.

235
00:12:03,460 --> 00:12:05,770
Speaker 1: The difference you can see here between judo and sumo

236
00:12:05,770 --> 00:12:10,060
Speaker 1: for example, sumo is a sport like multi, that is

237
00:12:10,059 --> 00:12:12,860
Speaker 1: very big in its own country of origin but not

238
00:12:12,860 --> 00:12:15,920
Speaker 1: further than that. But then my tie is a sport

239
00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:18,390
Speaker 1: that can also be applied to other disciplines for example,

240
00:12:18,390 --> 00:12:22,720
Speaker 1: mixed martial arts. But the danger that I saw during

241
00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:25,689
Speaker 1: the research of this story is that the spot could

242
00:12:25,690 --> 00:12:28,610
Speaker 1: be splitting up into many different directions. I mean already

243
00:12:28,610 --> 00:12:28,830
Speaker 1: talk

244
00:12:28,846 --> 00:12:32,476
Speaker 1: about that traditional muay thai here is 14, 5 rounds internationally,

245
00:12:32,476 --> 00:12:35,346
Speaker 1: it's in three rounds. These new promotions that I talked

246
00:12:35,346 --> 00:12:38,165
Speaker 1: about early here in Bangkok, they're also favor three rounds

247
00:12:38,166 --> 00:12:40,216
Speaker 1: as well because it's much faster and they have to

248
00:12:40,226 --> 00:12:43,076
Speaker 1: attack right from the get go. So the danger here

249
00:12:43,076 --> 00:12:45,456
Speaker 1: is that it is splitting up in very different directions

250
00:12:45,456 --> 00:12:48,366
Speaker 1: that we are talking about only one white eye anymore,

251
00:12:48,366 --> 00:12:52,346
Speaker 1: but many different iterations of muay thai and it can

252
00:12:52,356 --> 00:12:54,220
Speaker 1: maybe take the same shape as

253
00:12:54,232 --> 00:12:57,051
Speaker 1: as Western boxing where you have different federations and different

254
00:12:57,052 --> 00:12:59,802
Speaker 1: boxing's and you don't really know which one is actually

255
00:12:59,802 --> 00:13:02,472
Speaker 1: the main one and it could hurt the spot and

256
00:13:02,472 --> 00:13:02,972
Speaker 1: long run.

257
00:13:03,232 --> 00:13:06,352
Speaker 2: So where do you see this sport being, do you

258
00:13:06,352 --> 00:13:09,402
Speaker 2: expect it to make its olympic debut and as a fan,

259
00:13:09,412 --> 00:13:12,232
Speaker 2: how do you feel about, like you said these possible

260
00:13:12,232 --> 00:13:14,271
Speaker 2: many iterations of this sport?

261
00:13:14,282 --> 00:13:16,762
Speaker 1: It's difficult to say it definitely won't make it to

262
00:13:16,761 --> 00:13:19,600
Speaker 1: the next olympic games in paris. That's already, we know

263
00:13:19,618 --> 00:13:22,648
Speaker 1: the next chance would be in Los Angeles in 2028

264
00:13:22,908 --> 00:13:27,058
Speaker 1: it's very unlikely that the american committee we're going to implement.

265
00:13:27,378 --> 00:13:31,048
Speaker 1: So the pie in the sky, thinking of many people

266
00:13:31,048 --> 00:13:34,768
Speaker 1: that I talked to is that whenever a olympic games

267
00:13:34,768 --> 00:13:37,148
Speaker 1: is being awarded to an asian country that it might

268
00:13:37,148 --> 00:13:40,678
Speaker 1: be implemented there. So that's probably still a long way

269
00:13:40,678 --> 00:13:44,328
Speaker 1: to go. The possibility is there, but the opportunity doesn't

270
00:13:44,328 --> 00:13:44,990
Speaker 1: have time to,

271
00:13:45,004 --> 00:13:48,274
Speaker 2: before we wrap this up, I have to ask you,

272
00:13:48,274 --> 00:13:51,404
Speaker 2: I've been wondering, we talked about, you know, how important

273
00:13:51,414 --> 00:13:54,473
Speaker 2: this is for ties because the sport can be seen

274
00:13:54,474 --> 00:13:57,934
Speaker 2: as a vehicle to a brighter future fame, all that

275
00:13:57,944 --> 00:14:00,564
Speaker 2: kind of stuff. Did you ever consider taking up the

276
00:14:00,564 --> 00:14:01,404
Speaker 2: sport yourself

277
00:14:01,414 --> 00:14:03,824
Speaker 1: before I answered a personal question, Yes, I want to

278
00:14:03,824 --> 00:14:05,884
Speaker 1: highlight that in the piece that we did. We also

279
00:14:05,884 --> 00:14:10,384
Speaker 1: highlighted the angle of Children. The fighters are fighters and

280
00:14:10,540 --> 00:14:13,069
Speaker 1: because as you said, it is a vehicle for many

281
00:14:13,080 --> 00:14:15,080
Speaker 1: to get out of poverty and many have come out

282
00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:18,410
Speaker 1: of poverty for example barkow, he's one of them coming

283
00:14:18,410 --> 00:14:22,430
Speaker 1: from very humble backgrounds and we accompanied a gym in

284
00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:25,190
Speaker 1: King my to their fights, kids that were still in

285
00:14:25,190 --> 00:14:27,550
Speaker 1: their teenagers but they were still you know, going

286
00:14:27,700 --> 00:14:31,550
Speaker 1: added four guns blazing and of course it is not

287
00:14:31,550 --> 00:14:34,290
Speaker 1: without criticism. There has been one deadly incidents a couple

288
00:14:34,290 --> 00:14:37,310
Speaker 1: of years ago where people have said that kids shouldn't

289
00:14:37,310 --> 00:14:40,580
Speaker 1: be fighting muay thai because of the injury risk but

290
00:14:40,580 --> 00:14:43,240
Speaker 1: still keeps going on. So this is one thing that

291
00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:45,280
Speaker 1: I also wanted to highlight in my piece and I

292
00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:49,570
Speaker 1: recommend everybody to take a look at that now for myself,

293
00:14:49,580 --> 00:14:51,480
Speaker 1: I actually did do muay thai and

294
00:14:51,630 --> 00:14:55,240
Speaker 1: the self defense sports in my youth, so I did

295
00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:59,120
Speaker 1: what I I did judo, I do jujitsu back then,

296
00:14:59,130 --> 00:15:00,580
Speaker 2: wow, I didn't know this about you

297
00:15:00,590 --> 00:15:03,739
Speaker 1: because it's way, way back in the past. So you know,

298
00:15:03,740 --> 00:15:05,950
Speaker 1: back then when I was a couple of kilograms lighter,

299
00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:09,290
Speaker 1: my personal experience with these sports is that obviously it's

300
00:15:09,290 --> 00:15:11,740
Speaker 1: good for your health right during the sports, but also

301
00:15:11,750 --> 00:15:14,280
Speaker 1: as a teenager at that time, it also gives you

302
00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:15,560
Speaker 1: a little bit more confidence that you can

303
00:15:15,750 --> 00:15:18,270
Speaker 1: walk up a little bit more upright, I'm not getting

304
00:15:18,270 --> 00:15:21,960
Speaker 1: more intimidated that easily, but funny side story, you know,

305
00:15:21,970 --> 00:15:24,660
Speaker 1: a couple of months ago, all the correspondents were back

306
00:15:24,670 --> 00:15:28,080
Speaker 1: in Singapore at HQ. We had hostile environment training and

307
00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:31,140
Speaker 1: and one lesson was about self defense. So some of

308
00:15:31,140 --> 00:15:34,730
Speaker 1: these lessons, some of these experiences, they came back to me.

309
00:15:34,740 --> 00:15:37,410
Speaker 1: The downside was you know, is that I was used

310
00:15:37,410 --> 00:15:39,500
Speaker 1: as a punching bag for the instructors.

311
00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:44,290
Speaker 2: And on that note, thank you so much success, Thanks

312
00:15:44,290 --> 00:15:46,890
Speaker 2: for taking us into the ring and also into the

313
00:15:46,890 --> 00:15:48,570
Speaker 2: controversy of muay thai

314
00:15:48,580 --> 00:15:49,740
Speaker 1: thanks for having me, Teresa,

315
00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:54,000
Speaker 2: the tv version of Sienna correspondent airs on sienna every

316
00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:56,860
Speaker 2: Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. You can also catch up with

317
00:15:56,860 --> 00:16:00,370
Speaker 2: them whenever you like on Sienna dot asia follow this

318
00:16:00,370 --> 00:16:03,590
Speaker 2: podcast version that takes you behind the scenes with our correspondence.

319
00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:05,740
Speaker 2: So you'll know when a new episode is out,

320
00:16:06,130 --> 00:16:09,570
Speaker 2: the team behind this episode is clara yong Christina robert

321
00:16:09,740 --> 00:16:12,150
Speaker 2: and me Teresa tang until next time