The death of a 13-year-old boy who was knocked out during a kickboxing match in Thailand has sparked the calls to ban children from participating in Thai Boxing.
The death of Anucha Kochana came after a Muay Thai match on Saturday in the Bangkok suburb of Samut Prakarn. Anucha was killed after being knocked out in the third round of a match against a 14-year-old opponent.
The Facebook page Muaythai Krobwongjorn, which covers the sport, said he died from a brain hemorrhage. Protective gear is normally not worn in the sport, and video circulated on social media said to be of the fight shows Anucha not wearing any.
A child injury specialist at Bangkok’s Ramathibodi Hospital, quoted by the Post, said that young children were more vulnerable to brain injuries. “As adults, we have a duty to protect them,” Dr. Chatchai Im-arom said.
Child boxing is widespread in Thailand, especially in rural areas, with many boys, as young as 8-years-old, fighting to help impoverished families earn extra income and a path to lift them out of poverty.
According to figures compiled by the Thai Sports Authority and cited by the BBC, there are more than 10,000 registered boxers under the age of 15 in the country.
Thai legislators are considering legislation proposed last month banning children under 12 from competitive boxing. The legislation has been forwarded to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, which has already drafted a revised version, said General Aduldej Intapong, a member of the National Legislative Assembly.
Kickboxing is one of the most popular sports in Thailand and its boosters oppose regulating it.
"This would have a major impact on the industry," Sukrit Parekrithawet, a lawyer who represents several boxing training camps, said of the proposed legislation as cited from Aljazeera.com.
"Those who drafted the law do not know anything about the sport of Thai boxing, and this would make Muay Thai become extinct.
"If you don't allow younger players to learn their way up, how can they be strong and experienced enough to fight?" he said. "We call it 'boxing bones.' You need to have boxing bones built from a very young age."
sources: Aljazeera, Time.com