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Islamists permit muay thai revival
Kuala Lumpur (dpa) - Hard-line Islamic officials from Malaysia's northern Kelantan state plan to lift a 16-year ban on muay thai martial art, but with strict conditions imposed on the players and audience, a news report said Thursday.
The decision to bring back the sport is aimed at providing youths an outlet to channel their energy in a state that has no cinemas or entertainment outlets, senior party officials told the Star daily.
Thai kickboxing, known as muay thai, was banned in 1990 after the opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) came into power in Kelantan, which borders Thailand.
The sport is to be brought back on several new conditions, including changing the violent manner in which the sport is traditionally played, said the head of the state's youth committee, Abdul Fatah Mahmood.
Doctors are to be present at all fights, and stringent checks are to be conducted to ensure that fighters do not take steroids and were in good health before any fight, he said.
Another ruling is to be that fighters would need to be "properly attired" in full T-shirts and long sports pants, a conservative change from the shorts and bare chests usually displayed by fighters, Abdul Fatah said.
Finally, male and female members of the audience are to be segregated.
He said that with all of the changes made, the state plans to change the name of muay thai to "kelate muay" to reflect the uniqueness of the Kelantan version of the sport.
Muay thai, currently performed at indoor exhibitions in the state, is popular with local Kelantan residents, many of whom have Thai backgrounds because of intermarriages.
Kuala Lumpur (dpa) - Hard-line Islamic officials from Malaysia's northern Kelantan state plan to lift a 16-year ban on muay thai martial art, but with strict conditions imposed on the players and audience, a news report said Thursday.
The decision to bring back the sport is aimed at providing youths an outlet to channel their energy in a state that has no cinemas or entertainment outlets, senior party officials told the Star daily.
Thai kickboxing, known as muay thai, was banned in 1990 after the opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) came into power in Kelantan, which borders Thailand.
The sport is to be brought back on several new conditions, including changing the violent manner in which the sport is traditionally played, said the head of the state's youth committee, Abdul Fatah Mahmood.
Doctors are to be present at all fights, and stringent checks are to be conducted to ensure that fighters do not take steroids and were in good health before any fight, he said.
Another ruling is to be that fighters would need to be "properly attired" in full T-shirts and long sports pants, a conservative change from the shorts and bare chests usually displayed by fighters, Abdul Fatah said.
Finally, male and female members of the audience are to be segregated.
He said that with all of the changes made, the state plans to change the name of muay thai to "kelate muay" to reflect the uniqueness of the Kelantan version of the sport.
Muay thai, currently performed at indoor exhibitions in the state, is popular with local Kelantan residents, many of whom have Thai backgrounds because of intermarriages.
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