Muay Thai: a new era for global cultural connection

“The pathway for selections was through the IFMA (International Federation of Muay Thai Association) tournaments. I have been competing there since I was nine years old, yeah I am really excited.” 

For the Olympic audience, few would be aware that demonstrations of different sports have been run alongside the Games programme. It has been a pathway for some sports to gain entry into the Games, the two most recent being baseball and taekwondo. From 1992 onwards demonstration sports lost favour with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), citing costs, increasing athlete numbers and the additional responsibilities for Host countries to deliver. 

Muay Thai fighter Ishtar Mackey-Huriwai prepares for the Wai Kru Image: IFMA

Still, the International Federation of Muay Thai Association (IFMA), encouraged by its increasing popularity, athletes and audiences, and its expanding global reach, continued to lobby the IOC. By 2016 they had met all the IOC requirements and with the backing of the Thailand Government, were approved as a demonstration sport for Tokyo - Covid restrictions delaying their appearance until Paris 2024. 

Ishtar’s selection meant she and her mother, Melissa Mackey-Huriwai (also coach, training partner and contributor to this interview) joined athletes, including Thai superstar Buakaw Banchamek, Pi Muay musicians and masters in Paris for a week to demonstrate and profile the sport of Muay Thai.  

Her mission was to deliver a quality demonstration against her UAE opponent. As is tradition, each fight begun with the Wai Kru - Wai meaning hands together in prayer, Kru the word for teacher. Both fighters enter the ring together, circling it three times, then bowing three times, showing respect to their ancestors, teachers and families.  

Ishtar travelled to Paris earlier this year for the Muay Thai demonstration at the Olympics. Image: Supplied

Ishtar likens it to a pepeha – it's about your ancestry and being grateful to those that have passed before you. 

“You seal off the ring, pay respect, then go to battle” 

The fights consist of three rounds of three minutes with a one-minute rest between each round. 

Quite an experience for a girl that has her eyes firmly fixed on becoming a professional fighter in Thailand. 

“I have a goal, I want to be a pro fighter, I want to be in the One Champion team in Thailand”. 

It was her mother and aunty who were originally after the Olympic experience, swapping from karate to Muay Thai back in 2010. Both were members of the Rangataua o Aotearoa Club in Gisborne.  The club, started by their father in the late 1970s, was established so tamariki could explore martial arts, through māori tikanga and te reo. 

Ishtar and her opponent from the United Arab Emirates at the Olympics. The fight ended in a draw. Image: IFMA

Having started with karate, both were looking for a new challenge, and with the lure of the Olympics, they changed to Muay Thai. The interest grew within the club, with Ishtar following her family into the sport at the age of nine. She has travelled to Thailand multiple times to train and loves how it is just part of life there. 

“There are gyms everywhere, fights are promoted every day, and they bring in big crowds. It’s like an All Black game in NZ, but they have them every day.”  

Muay Thai meaning Thai Boxing, dates back to the 13th century, gaining popularity in the military when Thailand was having to defend it borders. Soldiers were trained for battle with and without weapons, which is how it became known as ‘art of eight limbs’. It differs from other combat sports as it has multiple points of contact, through kicks, knees, elbows and punches.  

While the sport is growing in New Zealand, with fights scheduled in Auckland most weekends, the global centre is Thailand.  

Muay Thai appearing at the Olympics as a demonstration sport is a sign it may enter the Games as a full sport. Image: Supplied

“The training is intense, it’s probably the hardest of all my training and it is so hot.” 

Another bonus is there are more girl fighters. 

Ishtar will travel back to Thailand in 2025 to prepare and train for the World Champions in May. She knows it will be tough, though views it as another step in the pathway to One Champion. 

Ishtar is one of many young kiwi who see their future in Asia through sport. Over the past decade, opportunities in the region have expanded dramatically, with professional leagues, international team spots, state-of-the-art facilities and increasing audience numbers. All of this means that for Ishtar her dream to become a professional fighter is now possible, what was a dream that is closer to becoming her reality. 

And what of Muay Thai’s future at the Olympics?  With LA’s programme for 2028 already released, the wait continues, maybe 2032 Brisbane?  

Asia Media Centre