International Federation of Muaythai Associations (IFMA) And Sport is Your Gang (SIYG)

Sport has long served as a vital instrument for the empowerment and social connection of vulnerable young people living in underprivileged communities (Coalter, 2000), and martial arts has become known as a platform through which disadvantaged and marginalized youths are able to bring structure to their lives, learning skills and core values that will aid them in their development, whilst being supervised in a supportive environment. According to its intrinsic significance, sports play an invaluable role in fostering social relationships, social skills, and character building (Vuori, 1995). Sports can inspire individuals to lead an active lifestyle, contributing to a healthy social, psychological, and physiological state (UNOSDP, 2015). The skills learned through sport offer practical solutions to prevent at-risk youth from becoming involved with criminal activities. 



Martial arts play an important role in crime prevention through deterrence, the reinforcement of morals and values, as well as rehabilitation. Training in traditional martial arts has been associated with decreased aggression, lower anxiety, and increased self‐control and self‐regulation (Zivin et al., 2001). As individuals trained in martial arts develop skills to defend themselves, this further reduces the chances of a crime occurring, possibly due to the increase in self-confidence and self-awareness. In essence, martial arts can be used as a tool for avoiding hostility and aggression, focusing instead on avoiding conflict and impulsive actions (Kim, 2004). 

Prevention and deterrence are one side, but forgiveness and rehabilitation are on the other side of the coin. Through sports, youths who have fallen prey to gang affiliation, criminal behavior, or other destructive tendencies, can find solace within a positive group dynamic, thereby facilitating their social reintegration. Interventions with a sport-based and team-focused approach, under careful guidance, can potentially offer young people, who were involved in gangs, an opportunity to engage in positive transitional experiences, alternative identity construction and desistance from crime. Studies have recognized the rehabilitative potential of sport-based programs in reducing recidivism and improving a wide range of psychological, physical, educational, and social outcomes for young people who were already in contact with the criminal justice system, including those in detention (UNODC, 2020).

IFMA believes in the power of sport, especially muaythai, in providing an alternative focus and a path away from such destructive activities.  Sport Is Your Gang targets youths from challenging backgrounds, encouraging them to take up muaythai training and, through their participation in training and dialogue programs, to be inspired for positive self-development and a healthy lifestyle. Sport provides a sense of social inclusion; rather than belonging to a gang or participating in a violent lifestyle, the spirit of the project is that through sport, youths can become part of a family, a team, and a community. The program also fosters a sense of personal growth, respect, and empathy for others, shining a light for those who have taken steps down a destructive path, guiding them out of the darkness. 

SIYG: A Glimpse Into a Few of the Programs

[THAILAND]

Bangkok and its surrounding areas comprise a population of around 14 million people, with a wide array of socio-economic situations. Bangkok has several slum communities, one of the most well-known being Klong Toey. Local mafia, drug dealers and gangs are a part of these urban landscapes. Boredom and alienation affect many youths, leading them down paths which are destructive. In 1999, growing out of the “Muaythai Against Drugs: Find the Right Path” campaign established by General Pichitr Kullavanijaya, Privy Councilor to HM the King of Thailand, Sport is Your Gang was born.

IFMA’s campaign grew in conjunction with Peace & Sport organization and UNESCO, targeting youth with challenging backgrounds, and through participation in muaythai and learning programs, paving the way to positive self-development, and urging the youths to adopt a healthy lifestyle. The programs tackle the many facets of a destructive lifestyle, due to violence or alienation, by providing a character-building environment and sense of community among the members.

Every Saturday in underprivileged communities, the SIYG program offers muaythai training to the children, ranging between the ages 6-18, as well as providing food, uniforms and equipment. Youth are trained in the cultural art of Muaythai, engaging in fitness activity, and those who excel gain the opportunity to travel to international events, demonstrating ritualized performance styles such as Muay Boran. These projects aim to provide a wider perspective and encouragement that there are positive opportunities in life which can be reached through education and self-discipline.

[SOUTH AFRICA]

Violence and crime abound, participants come from poor neighborhoods where gangs and drug abuse can be pervasive elements of their environments, and self-esteem can be very low for youth who feel they have no opportunities and a small future.

The South African Amateur Muaythai Federation (SAAMF), under the presidency of Quentin Chong, has long been a pioneer of “Muaythai Against Drugs”, a program designed to target school-age children, encouraging them to engage in sport, such as fitness Muaythai, pursue their studies and avoid drugs. Although the cultural aspects of muaythai, for example Wai Kru, were a focus, the local South African culture and identity was also honored through, for example, drumming circles. 

In its evolution towards Sport is Your Gang, SAAMF expanded its age range to address the challenges and decisions facing older youth. Every Saturday, muaythai training offers mentorship and training in martial arts values, in self-discipline and self-control. Emphasis is placed on having a safe environment and a community that one can trust. SAAMF has used a "development team", including youth who come from its social project training programs, on national teams which compete nationally and on an international level. Looking to the future, President Quentin Chong hope to create a “Muaythai Home”; a development in townships, complete with a fitness center and training areas, seminar and resource rooms, and dormitories. 

[COLUMBIA]

The Sport is Your Gang chapter in Colombia, run by the President of Medellin Muaythai Federation, David Gonzalez, started in 2017 with the hope to create positive change in the dangerous and crime-ridden areas in the outskirts of Medellin. Today, the program has grown to include around 250 children, all of whom have been displaced by violence and belonging to an ethnic minority. The program places a strong emphasis on education, not only in muaythai training, but also in implementing martial arts philosophy and values. 

“Sport is your Chance… Every child deserves a Champ!” is the motto of this initiative, giving the children comprehensive educational training that allows them to be resilient, healthy, productive, and happy adults, who contribute positively to their community and society. Every Sunday, David and other Medellin Muaythai Federation members, travel to some of the most hostile communities in Colombia to train, teach and interact with the children, providing a beacon of hope. Through the years, many sporting world champions, such as UFC Champions Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson (left) and Cris Cyborg (right), have travelled to these neighborhoods with the Medellin Muaythai Federation to meet the children, share their stories, and hopefully inspire the children that dreams really do come true.

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