Two initiatives linked to the international structure of the International Federation of Muaythai Associations -IFMA- are connecting youth development with international competition. Benghazi, in Libya, is hosting the Arab Youth Muaythai Championship for athletes aged between 10 and 17, while USA Muaythai has brought athletes, coaches and officials together in Charlotte for a high-performance programme. Both pathways have the IFMA Youth World Championships in Olympia, Greece, as their next major destination in November.
The two initiatives follow different models. The tournament organised by the Libyan Muaythai Federation, under the sanction of IFMA and the Arab Muaythai Federation, is the final Arab qualification and preparation stage before the World Championships. The US programme does not award qualification places, but seeks to establish a consistent pathway from local clubs to major international competitions through the combined development of athletes, coaches and officials.
Competition in Benghazi
The Arab championship brings together male and female athletes from different countries across the region until 27 August. According to the programme issued by the organisers, the delegations arrived on Wednesday and Thursday, with the weigh-in and opening ceremony scheduled for Friday. Competition will begin on Saturday, the titles will be decided on 26 August and the teams will leave the city the following day.
The work conducted at the United States Performance Center covers physical conditioning, mental preparation, nutrition, hydration, recovery and weight management. The programme also addresses international rules, scoring criteria and detailed competition analysis. Coaches and officials are involved alongside the athletes, with the aim of applying common standards throughout the different stages of the national team pathway.
From local gyms to the world stage
USA Muaythai is the sole US National Federation for IFMA and is recognised as a sports organisation by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee -USOPC-. Its structure connects training in local gyms and clubs with national competitions, senior and youth World Championships, and an international multisport calendar that includes the World Games, university, school and military sport, and combat sports events.
The federation’s president, Lonnie Beck, attributed the development of the programme to the collective work of athletes, coaches, officials, clubs, volunteers and administrators. “Our strength is in working together. When we keep our athletes and our youth at the centre of what we do, we create something much greater than individual success. We create a pathway, a culture and a Team USA family,” he said in the IFMA statement.
Preparation at several levels
Preparations for the World Championships are also under way across Arab countries. The United Arab Emirates brought together more than 1,000 young athletes in March and selected around 40 for its national team, while Egypt assembled more than 500 members of its youth and junior squads in July. Arab Muaythai Federation president and IFMA vice-president Abdullah Al Neyadi has described cooperation between national organisations as a shared responsibility towards young athletes, arguing that creating opportunities must remain compatible with preserving Muaythai’s cultural identity. IFMA has held full recognition from the International Olympic Committee -IOC- since 2021, although the sport is not currently part of the Olympic Games programme.
The Benghazi competition continues Libya’s record of hosting international Muaythai championships. The Arab Youth Championship held in Tripoli in 2023 attracted around 300 athletes from 20 countries, with an announced programme that included cultural exchange, anti-doping education and fair play. The capital also staged the 2025 African Championships, contested by more than a dozen national teams across youth, under-23 and elite categories. Morocco led the medal table with 11 golds, while the host team collected two golds, eight silvers and eight bronzes. The IFMA Youth World Championships will take place in Olympia from 6 to 16 November.
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