Muay Thai in Madhya Pradesh

Reviewed profileAchievements, tournaments, coaches and FAQs on this page are compiled by hand from federation, government and press reporting, drawing on Golden Mongkhon International (goldenmongkhon.in), MuayThai India (muaythaiindia.co.in), WMF Muay Thai (wmfmuaythai.com), Wikipedia — International Federation of Muaythai Associations, Muaythai at the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games. These are not cited to individual documents: we hold no per-claim source for them, so treat dates, counts and career records here as a summary rather than a reference. Sections we hold nothing for are left empty. Sport pages last reviewed as a set: September 2026.

Overview

Origin: Thailand
Category: Combat
Olympic discipline: No
Paralympic discipline: No
Central pathway: Federation and state pathway
Athlete profiles on SportSupport: 1

Governance and status

Each field below is shown only where we hold a source for it; anything else reads “Not currently verified” rather than a guess. Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition is granted year by year, so it is only ever shown with the year it applies to. Last reviewed: September 2026.

Indian governing/organising body: United Muaythai Association of India
Ministry recognition: Not currently verified
International federation: Not currently verified
Khelo India inclusion: Not currently verified
TOPS eligibility: Not currently verified
Olympic status: Not on the Olympic programme
Paralympic status: Not a Paralympic discipline

Muay Thai is listed on SportSupport in the combat category. Its recorded origin is Thailand. It is not on the Olympic programme. We list United Muaythai Association of India as the Indian governing/organising body for the sport.

Muay Thai has a federation and state-level pathway in India, and athletes selected through United Muaythai Association of India may be eligible for state sports-quota employment and state cash awards where their state notifies the discipline. TOPS does not apply, as the discipline is outside the Olympic programme.

Scholarships & Funding

Central, state and private scholarships available for muay thai athletes in India.

Khelo India Talent Identification & Development (KITID)
Stipend, boarding, coaching and kit at accredited centres for talent identified through the Khelo India selection process (Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports). Applies only to disciplines on the official Khelo India Games list, and only to athletes it selects.
National Sports Development Fund (NSDF)
Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports fund used to sponsor elite athletes' training, foreign coaches and equipment. Allocations are made case by case; we hold no record of NSDF support specific to muay thai.
Pension for Meritorious Sportspersons
Lifetime monthly pension for retired internationals who meet the scheme's medal criteria at Asian, Commonwealth or World Championship level — Government of India. Whether a given muay thai event counts depends on the scheme's notified list.
State sports quota and government employment
Many states reserve government and public-sector posts for national-level medallists. Which muay thai events and which certifying bodies a state accepts varies by state, so check your state's current notification.

Explore all government schemes →

Indian Players

1 profiles

Richa GaurRajasthan
Richa Gaur (born 10 December 1993) is an Indian martial arts competitor and self-defense instructor who has been honored and felicitated as one of the "Top 100 Women Achievers of India" by the former President of India and Maneka Gandhi in the field of women's empowerment. She is an international gold and bronze medalist in martial arts. She has been called the "Muay Thai Queen of India" for her gold hat trick in Muay thai championship.

Browse the full athlete directory →

Rules

Muaythai ("the art of eight limbs") allows punches, kicks, elbows and knees, plus clinch work with sweeps and throws. Amateur/IFMA-style bouts run three or four rounds of two to three minutes on a boxing ring, scored round-by-round on effective striking, damage, ring generalship and defence; clean knees and elbows in the clinch score heavily. Bouts open with the wai kru ram muay ritual dance. Amateur rules mandate protective gear and bar techniques such as head throws; professional bouts run five three-minute rounds with lighter gear.

Authoritative rulebook: United Muaythai Association of India. Age-group and school-level variations are published by SGFI and the state associations each season.

Positions

Typical roles across combat sports. These are category-level descriptions, not a sourced muay thai squad list.

Fighter / competitor
Contests bouts inside the ring, mat or cage in a set weight category.
Corner / second
Coach in the corner during the bout — allowed to instruct between rounds.
Referee & judges
Officiate the bout, score rounds and enforce safety rules.
Cutman / medical
Manages cuts, swelling and immediate medical needs between rounds.

Equipment

Standard kit and infrastructure required to train and compete in muay thai at a federation-recognised event.

Boxing gloves (amateur: 10oz, WMF/IFMA-approved)
Headgear, shin guards, elbow pads and chest protector for amateur bouts
Groin guard (steel or plastic cup) and gum shield
Mongkhon headband and prajioud armbands worn for the wai kru
Hand wraps and ankle supports

Governing/organising body

Body listed on SportSupport

United Muaythai Association of India

United Muaythai Association of India is the body we list as the Indian governing/organising body for Muay Thai. We hold no confirmed Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition record for it, so nothing here states that it is currently recognised.

Origin: Thailand
Olympic: No
Paralympic: No
Category: Combat

UMAI profile →All federations →

Major Indian Events

Domestic competitions we hold a source for in muay thai.

National Muaythai Championships
India's national-level competitions have run under more than one banner. Golden Mongkhon International (GMI, founded 2022, building on event-hosting experience since 2010) states it holds the sole World Muaythai Federation (WMF) affiliation for India and has run its own National Championship series since 2021; a separately-branded 'MuayThai India' has also run numbered national championships (6th edition, 2025) — reflecting governance complexity similar to what's been found in other Indian combat sports.

International Events

Continental and world-level competitions we hold a source for in muay thai.

Asian Muaythai Championship
India won 2 bronze and 1 silver at the 15th edition. India was set to host the 16th edition in Bengaluru in July 2025 after over a decade of groundwork, but the event was postponed due to India-Pakistan border tensions creating safety concerns for visiting delegations — GMI pivoted to host a national championship instead.
World Muaythai Championship (Bangkok)
India won 2 gold, 7 silver and 8 bronze medals at a recent edition.
Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games
India has competed in muaythai (known as 'Muay' before 2017) since the sport's debut at these Games in 2005.

Leagues

No dedicated professional league is currently catalogued for muay thai. The national championship under United Muaythai Association of India remains the top domestic competition.

All leagues →

International Players

Globally recognised muay thai athletes to know outside India.

The international federation for muay thai maintains the current world ranking — check the federation site for the up-to-date top names.

Career Options

Ways to build a career in muay thai — on the field, on the sidelines and behind the scenes.

Playing pathway through GMI's Golden Mongkhon Title Belt Championship series (both amateur and 'Best of 4' Pro editions, held in Bengaluru and Manipal) and national team selection for WMF-sanctioned events
Muaythai in India has genuine grassroots momentum but a governance landscape that is still consolidating, similar to several other combat sports
Coaching pathways through GMI, which is recognized by WMF as India's IFMA-linked national federation

Explore sports careers →Coaches directory →

Related academies

0 listed

No muay thai academies are catalogued in the directory yet. Browse the full academy list or list your academy to appear here.

All academies →List your academy →

FAQs

Common questions about muay thai in India.

Who governs Muay Thai in India?▾

We list United Muaythai Association of India as the Indian governing/organising body for Muay Thai, and state associations affiliated to it run age-group and state-level competition. We hold no current-year Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition record for it, so this is not a statement that it is currently a recognised national sports federation — recognition is granted year by year.

Is Muay Thai an Olympic sport?▾

No, Muay Thai is not on the Olympic programme.

How do I start playing Muay Thai in India?▾

The usual routes are a school team under the School Games Federation of India (SGFI), a college team under the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), or a private academy affiliated to your state association under United Muaythai Association of India. Age-group state championships follow from there.

What government schemes support Muay Thai athletes?▾

TOPS does not apply, as Muay Thai is outside the Olympic programme. State-government cash awards or sports-quota employment can apply where a state notifies the discipline, which varies by state. Muay Thai does not appear on the official Khelo India Games discipline list, so we make no Khelo India claim for it.

Muay Thai in every state & UT

Dedicated pages for Muay Thai in each Indian state and Union Territory — academies, schemes, athletes and how to start.