Thailand: women in boxing

Audio 02:30

Boxer Kullanat Ornok (l) and Australian Celest Hansen engage in a fierce fight in the legendary Lumpinee stadium in Bangkok, November 13, 2021 Lillian SUWANRUMPHA AFP / Archives

By: Carol Isoux

2 min

In Thailand, the national sport, Thai boxing, or

, is gradually becoming more feminine.

The most prestigious stadium in the country hosted the first women's fight in its history in September.

Despite the success of Thai boxers on the international scene, resistance is strong in the boxing community, where stubborn superstitions still prevent women from occupying a central role. 

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From our correspondent in Bangkok,

The moment was historic.

On September 18, the prestigious Lumpinee stadium in Bangkok hosted its first women's fight.

The fighters first performed the

, a series of choreographed movements intended to showcase their flexibility and grace, qualities also required of male boxers.

And, it is the young Sanechan, 17, who emerged victorious.

But if the discipline is gradually feminized, many superstitions still govern the presence of women.

For example, unlike boxers who step over the ropes to reach the ring, women are forced to bend over to pass under it.

For the champion Biamouali Sep, the practice is humiliating for the boxers.

“It’s in case a woman has her period which is considered bad luck.

In addition, we are all considered all lesbians, which is frowned upon.

But frankly, they could at least let us go under the second string, in the middle, instead of having us crawl right under the last one.

"

Beliefs around the evil power of rulers and the private parts of the female body are stubborn in Southeast Asia, accused of making men's tattoos and monk incantations lose their magical protective power.

Legends surrounding the misfortunes of women in the ring abound, even in modern times.

Transsexual boxers are more accepted

The former sports reporter Suwanna srisongran, says that one evening, a nurse made boxers take reckless risks.

“That evening, she had come to assist the ring doctor, who had not yet arrived.

But she did not know anything about the world of boxing, about the beliefs, about the ceremonies of the monks.

No one had explained it to her, and suddenly one of the boxers got a head injury, so she rushes into the ring, stepping over the ropes, to heal him.

From there, it was a massacre.

That evening, more than 10 boxers were seriously injured.

" 

As a result, female boxers are more accepted than female-born boxers.

This is the case of champion Nong Toom, who became a national icon, who was finally able to afford sex reassignment surgery after years of fighting against men in feminine guise.  

Clichés die hard, but thanks to their success on the international stage and with the hope of seeing Thai boxing soon in Olympic competition, female boxers, fight after fight, are gaining the consideration of the Thai public. 

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