Chatri Sityodtong received recognition from the Thai Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin, for his contributions to Muay Thai this week. The ONE Championship Founder and CEO was in Hua Hin to celebrate International Muay Thai day.
The annual festival took place at at Rajabhakti Park and concluded on Tuesday. On the final day Chatri was presented with the special award and he told his Facebook followers it was completely unexpected,
“Much to my surprise, Prime Minister Srettha presented me with a special award for my contributions to Muay Thai. The Thai Government also honored me as one of the top 20 most influential teachers of Muay Thai.”
Main promoter
Last year Chatri was the main promoter at Lumpinee Stadium. Originally opened in 1956 and rebuilt in a new location in 2014 it is regarded as being the most prestigious venue in the sport of Muay Thai.
ONE Championship put on 54 events at Lumpinee Stadium in 2023. The majority were held on a Friday night and broadcast by Channel 7 in Thailand, but eight of these shows took place on a Saturday morning and were streamed on Prime Video in North America.
Full of gratitude
When ONE Championship was launched in 2011 the fight cards consisted exclusively of MMA matches. In recent years Chatri’s promotion has had much more focus on Muay Thai and it is a sport that is clearly close to his heart,
“Without a doubt, I owe my life today to Muay Thai. For almost 40 years, I have been a student, a fighter, a teacher, a gym owner, a fight team coach, and now a CEO. While I never reached the highest levels in the world as a competitor, I am full of gratitude for the lessons that Muay Thai gave me,” he explained.
ONE Friday Fights 51 is set for Lumpinee Stadium this Friday evening. In the main event Rambolek Chor Ajalaboon faces Soner Şen in a bantamweight Muay Thai fight.
