Muay Thai superstar Sombat “Buakaw” Banchamek has clarified that he has Thai nationality after Cambodian boxing fans had claimed he is of Cambodian descent.
A dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over the origin of the martial art has led three Thai boxers to affirm their Thai nationality after Cambodian fans made claims to the contrary.
On Tuesday night, Sombat had posted on his official Facebook page that his ethnic Kuy ancestors had lived in the Dangrek Mountains where Thailand, Cambodia and Laos meet. However, he does not hold Cambodian nationality.
“I am a Thai citizen with Kuy ethnicity, not a Cambodian citizen as some people have falsely claimed,” he wrote.
Fans were reacting to the announcement by Cambodia that during the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia in May, the kickboxing sport will be referred to as Kun Khmer instead of Muay Thai.
Hosting the SEA Games for the first time in 60 years, Cambodia officials said that the kickboxing art called Muay Thai had originated in Cambodia.
However the National Olympic Committee of Thailand said the International Olympic Committee had not endorsed the term Kun Khmer.
The former president of the International Federation of Muaythai Associations said Thailand would not send its Muay Thai athletes to join the SEA Games in Cambodia this year, and it would ban countries that send their national athletes to compete in Kun Khmer in May.
Cambodia then said it would not send its national boxing athletes to the 2025 SEA Games that will be hosted by Thailand.
