HERE ALREADY THE SECOND YEAR, THE EMIRATES TEAM GOES TO THAILAND AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AT THE AMAZING THAI BOXING, IN THE CHAPTER WITH THE "ACADEMY OF MARTIAL UNIVERSALS", I am overjoyed. AT THE CHAMPIONSHIP OF 2007, WHICH, AS USUALLY, WENT IN THE FESHIN AYLAND SHOPPING CENTER OF THE COUNTRY - THE CITY OF BANGKOK, TAKEN PARTICIPATION OF 102 TEAMS FROM DIFFERENT CORNERS OF THE WORLD.
Three rings were installed in the center, on which fights continued for eight days. In total, more than 1,200 people took part in the championship. There were large teams, for example, from Russia, which brought 48 fighters representing almost all weight categories. Ukraine, New Zealand, Australia and America were not less than the composition. Exotic countries appeared in the championship grid - Madagascar, Cambodia and Venezuela. The European continent was represented almost completely.
This year the team of the Emirates was a larger composition than in the past, as juniors appeared in the team. But most importantly, the team received support and recognition from the state of the UAE. All members of the national team with an Emirates passport were given two months leave at the place of study or work, to conduct training camps and perform at the World Cup. The training camp was held at the Thai Fairtex Sports Camp, one of the best in the world. In addition, this year the Emirate team was able to attract, as one of the coaches, the most titled Russian fighter to date, the winner of four K-1 Grand Prix, Magomed Magomedov. Together with the head coach of the Academy, Magomed Suleymanov and Thai coaches, they raised the level of physical fitness and helped athletes from the UAE better master the tactics of warfare.
Everything turned out pretty well, and the training of athletes went according to plan. Then the first “headaches” of the tournament began: registration, drawing of lots and distribution of pairs of participants according to the days of performances. Much depended on luck at this stage. The draw at the World Championships is usually carried out manually and in the presence of representatives of all teams, i.e., the moment of juggling when choosing opponents is excluded even theoretically. missing. Naturally, there were favorite teams at the championship, such as Russia, Thailand (who took the first team place this year and for whom it was a matter of honor to win a tournament in the capital of his country, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the King of Thailand) and, of course, Ukraine ( second team place), Belarus and Kazakhstan. These are the teams that have been practically playing this championship over the past few years, and the countries of the former USSR and Thailand usually meet in the tournament finals. In practice, the World Cup is the level of the championship of the former USSR, with one exception - Thailand. In light weight categories, Thais are very difficult to resist.
The draw immediately brought a lot of trouble. Rashid Abdullah, who performed in the weight category of 60 kg, fell on an opponent from Uzbekistan, and if he could defeat him, which was very difficult, then the next fight would have to be fought with a Russian athlete. But at the very beginning of the second round, Rashid received a cut in his right eyebrow, and the doctors removed him from the competition. Such a technical knockout.
In the UAE team there were only four citizens of the Emirates, so each loss seemed too significant. The time has come for the release of Muhammad Suleiman. The team was looking forward to this fight. Muhammad already had the experience of playing in tournaments, though not at that level, plus he was quite in good physical shape. But here, since the draw, the guys were not lucky.
Firstly, in the weight of 63.5 kg 36 participants were announced, which meant that in order to get to at least the quarter finals, you would have to win four fights. But judging by the fact that this is the most common weight category in the world, the number and quality of fighters in it reaches the highest level. Everyone was waiting for a good fight. Muhammad defended three rounds against the eminent Swedish rival, who was already third in the previous World Cup, but missed a knee hit in the liver, and was no longer able to continue the fight. Muhammad Sana came third in the ring, taking part in the Dubai Battle of the Coast tournament and winning the battle against the South African, but the picture has not changed much. He was able to hold out all four rounds, but the victory left for Slovakia.
The last hope remained - Junior Mansur Luta, speaking in the category up to 75 kg. This fighter joined the Thai boxing team from Taikwondo, having won twice the Gulf Championship and becoming the Emirates Champion in this sport. At the draw in this weight, the UAE team smiled good luck! Mansur in the first round fell on a newcomer from Turkmenistan, passed it by decision of the judges 3: 2 in favor of the Emirates. Of course, the excitement affected, because this was the first fight of Mansour at the World Cup. In the second round, our athlete competed with the Austrian, and since Austria is clearly not the country where Thai boxing is highly developed, Mansour won by two points. We are in the semifinals! We have a bronze medal!
We were congratulated by everyone who spoke Russian, all the teams of the former Soviet Union, because they knew that the Emirates team was led by Russian coaches, and this was a great victory! A country in which tough sports are not developed, in which they first heard about Thai boxing with the appearance of the "Martial Arts Academy" in Dubai, is making unthinkable successes. The UAE team decides not to stop in third place and prepares Mansour for the semifinal fight, in which he was to meet with the Portuguese. Thank God that the strongest athletes in this weight are on the other side of the tournament grid.
There, Russia, the victorious team of Belarus, competed in the semifinals with the fighters from Kazakhstan who defeated Australia. But fate brings another surprise to the emirates. Mansour loses to the Portuguese in the semifinals, getting a knockdown in the second round, but, truth, standing up and ending the fight. The Portuguese becomes the champion in this weight, having defeated the Russian in the final, and the Emirates and Kazakhstan become the third. The bronze of the team of newcomers from the Emirates at the World Cup is not equated to gold, but to platinum. This is the first medal in the history of the country at the world championships in martial arts! We can proudly say that the Martial Arts Academy, led by President Vladimir Burdun, head coach Magomed Suleymanov, who helped prepare athletes, Magomed Magomedov, and of course, Stanislav Bukhlov, makes the history of the UAE in full contact sports and continues to proudly carry the flag of the Emirates over the world sports Olympus.
I would like to give a special place in this story to people who are not written about in the press when an athlete wins. We are talking about sponsors of the national team of the Emirates in Thai boxing, with the help of which the team’s trip to the World Cup became possible. This year, the emirate team was sponsored by REDS Real Estate & Development, a company that sells real estate in the Emirates. Special thanks to Svetlana Muravleva personally. Tickets for the tournament were kindly provided to the team by Thai Airlines, which throughout 2007 supports the development of Thai boxing in the Middle East region.
The next World Cup will be held in Korea in September 2008 under the leadership of the International Olympic Committee.
