SportAccord Launches Huge Muay Thai Competition in Beijing

Details are coming out regarding a massive international competition to be held in Beijing later this summer.  From August 27 - September 4, Beijing will host the 2010 SportAccord Combat Games.  These games will include 13 different combat sports, but the most exciting news yet released surrounds the Muay Thai competition.  Featuring a huge number of Muay Thai fighters, both male and female, and across the full range of weight classes, these games have the potential to create a real impact on the international Muay Thai scene.

There's a ton of names involved (full list in the complete entry) but the big names include Buakaw Por. Pramuk, Yodsaenklai Fairtex, and Saenchai Sor Kingstar (arguably the top 3 pound for pound Thai fighters in the world) along with Artur Kyshenko and Marcus Oberg.  The 71kg weight class is particularly stacked with Buakaw, Kyshenko, Oberg, and 3 other fighters.  Although there are no specific details yet about how the fights will be structured, you have to think there is a strong chance we'll see #3 Buakaw v. #4 Kyshenko here in what would be a blockbuster showdown and a real dream fight between two men who have not yet faced off.

These games are hosted by SportAccord.  Formerly known as The General Association of International Sports Federation, SportAccord's stated mission is "to unite, support and promote its Member International Sports Federations and Organisations for the co-ordination and protection of their common aims and interests, communication and co-operation, while at the same time conserving and respecting their autonomy."  Which is a sort of convoluted way of saying they host Olympic-style international competitions throughout the world.

The plan is to host these Combat Games every four years, with this being the inaugural event.  In addition to Muay Thai, the games will include Boxing, Wrestling, Kickboxing, Wushu, Sambo, Sumo, Aikido, Judo, Jiu Jitsu, Karate, Kendo, and Taekwondo.

This is an incredibly ambitious event, and let's hope they pull it off.  And that it gets some form of broadcast distribution so we can see it, because frankly, this could be really cool, and I want to see it.

Check out a video package on the event below:

54 kg category
1 IFMA Male 54 KG Choi Jin-Sun Korean Male
2 IFMA Male 54 KG Paleenaram Sattra Thai Male
3 IFMA Male 54 KG Liao Zhenhui Chinese Male
4 IFMA Male 54 KG Kurt Ridvan Turkish Male
5 IFMA Male 54 KG Youb Said French Male
6 IFMA Male 54 KG Madadi Mohammad Iranian Male

57 kg category
7 IFMA Male 57 KG Chankhunthod Witsanu Thai Male
8 IFMA Male 57 KG Yaakub Mohd. Ali Malaysian Male
9 IFMA Male 57 KG Wang Kang Chinese Male
10 IFMA Male 57 KG Ng King Chung Chinese Male
11 IFMA Male 57 KG Aukenov Birzhan Kazak Male
12 IFMA Male 57 KG White Christopher Australian Male
13 IFMA Male 57 KG Simonides Rafal Polish Male

63.5 kg category
14 IFMA Male 63.5 KG Finlayson Kurt Russell Australia Male
15 IFMA Male 63.5 KG Tanjad Panupan Thai Male
16 IFMA Male 63.5 KG Zhang Dezheng Chinese Male
17 IFMA Male 63.5 KG Kholmuratov Firdavsiy Uzbek Male
18 IFMA Male 63.5 KG Akthar Martin Swedish Male
19 IFMA Male 63.5 KG Calvo Sebastian Argentine Male

67 kg category
20 IFMA Male 67 KG Guo Dongwang Chinese Male
21 IFMA Male 67 KG Dicks Michael British Male
22 IFMA Male 67 KG Saenpong Suphachai Thai Male
23 IFMA Male 67 KG Petrov Igor Russian Male
24 IFMA Male 67 KG Luna Gustavo Argentine Male

71 kg category
25 IFMA Male 71 KG Wang Guan Chinese Male
26 IFMA Male 71 KG Kyshenko Artur Ukrainian Male
27 IFMA Male 71 KG Smagulov Almas Kazak Male
28 IFMA Male 71 KG Oberg Marcus Swedish Male
29 IFMA Male 71 KG Baai Bakhulule South African Male
30 IFMA Male 71 KG Banchamek Sombat Thai Male

75 kg category
31 IFMA Male 75 KG Guo Hanghang Chinese Male
32 IFMA Male 75 KG Tereshonok Vasyl Ukrainian Male
33 IFMA Male 75 KG Lacombe Jesse Canadian Male
34 IFMA Male 75 KG Phorat Yodthanong Thai Male
35 IFMA Male 75 KG Levin Artem Russian Male
36 IFMA Male 75 KG Abdollahi Mostafa Iranian Male

81 kg category
37 IFMA Male 81 KG Marcus Simon Canadian Male
38 IFMA Male 81 KG Jiang Guangzhen Chinese Male
39 IFMA Male 81 KG Sengirov Nurbolat Kazak Male
40 IFMA Male 81 KG Olsen Kim Australian Male
41 IFMA Male 81 KG Brinkman Hendrik Dutch Male

91 kg category
42 IFMA Male 91 KG Zhang Xuefeng Chinese Male
43 IFMA Male 91 KG Mirzamukhamedov Jasur Uzbek Male
44 IFMA Male 91 KG Rogava Tsotne Ukrainian Male
45 IFMA Male 91 KG Blachowicz Jan Polish Male
46 IFMA Male 91 KG Hoopmann Thor Australian Male
47 IFMA Male 91 KG Shelepov Semen Russian Male
48 IFMA Male 91 KG Alimohammadi Hassan Iranian Male

51 kg category
49 IFMA Female 51 KG Pirnie Amy Wendy Robertson British Female
50 IFMA Female 51 KG Mezyan Jihad Moroccan Female
51 IFMA Female 51 KG Heo Song-Bok Korean Female
52 IFMA Female 51 KG Pramari Prakaidao Thai Female
53 IFMA Female 51 KG Guido Gillberry Santiago American Female
54 IFMA Female 51 KG Xu Zhurong Chinese Female
55 IFMA Female 51 KG San Ozlem Turkish Female
56 IFMA Female 51 KG Pinto Fatima Norweigian Female

54 kg category
57 IFMA Female 54 KG Sutherland Misty Dawn Canadian Female
58 IFMA Female 54 KG Yan Xiaonan Chinese Female
59 IFMA Female 54 KG Yakovleva Diana Ukrainian Female
60 IFMA Female 54 KG Benitez Karla Venezuelan Female
61 IFMA Female 54 KG Preston Michelle New Zealander Female

60 kg category
62 IFMA Female 60 KG Sun Jiao Chinese Female
63 IFMA Female 60 KG Fucz Anna German Female
64 IFMA Female 60 KG Shevchenko Valentina Russian/Peruvian Female
65 IFMA Female 60 KG Willberg Anna Finnish Female
66 IFMA Female 60 KG Ross Madeleine South African Female