Muaythai debuts at the Santa Catarina Open Games in Indaial, 2019

In November 2019, Muaythai debuted at the 59th Jogos Abertos de Santa Catarina (JASC, the Santa Catarina Open Games), in Indaial, as a demonstration sport. The poster posted by Mestre Paulo Ribeiro, president of FECAMTT, the Santa Catarina Traditional Muaythai Federation, announced the bouts on November 7, 8 and 9 and called it “the biggest Muaythai event in Santa Catarina”. It was the finish line of a request first made in 2013 and of a whole year of regional events across the state.

The invitation to the opening

On November 4, 2019, the Mestre wrote: “As president of the Santa Catarina Muaythai federation, I invite everyone to the opening ceremony, on November 7, at 7 p.m.” (Instagram). The poster carried the logos of FECAMTT, Fesporte and the Government of Santa Catarina, and the dates November 7, 8 and 9, in Indaial.

In July, Fesporte, Santa Catarina’s state sports foundation, had scheduled the bouts for November 5 to 7, with Muaythai during the day and boxing at night, in the same venue. The November poster gave the final dates. The 2019 Open Games had three host cities, Indaial, Timbó and Pomerode, from November 1 to 10.

The path: regional events across the state

Qualification for JASC went through regional stages organized by FECAMTT:

• April 26: the Mestre announced that Balneário Camboriú would host the second regional stage on the road to JASC (Instagram);
• June 23: a presence at the Copa Florianópolis to promote Muaythai’s entry into the Games;
• July 6 and 7: technical accreditation and a regional event at Arena Joinville, with coaches from several cities (Instagram). In the ring, a bout in the official super lightweight category between Erval Velho and Joinville, and the debut of the wai kru category, Muaythai’s ritual salute, competing for a spot;
• September 7 and 8: accreditation at Criciúma City Hall (Instagram) and a qualifier in Florianópolis.

On July 30, Fesporte extended the Muaythai registration deadline to October 10. The same day, the Mestre spoke of a “strong partnership with Fesporte and boxing on the road to JASC 2019”.

What “demonstration sport” means

According to Fesporte, a new sport joins the Games as a demonstration sport, spends two editions as a provisional sport and only becomes official at the fourth edition. The 2019 debut was therefore the first step. The process was approved by the Conselho Estadual de Esporte (CED, the State Sports Council) after FECAMTT’s meeting with Fesporte’s president, Rui Godinho, described in the article about the meeting with Fesporte.

No published results

This site did not find the Muaythai medal table for JASC 2019 in an open source. That is why it publishes neither results nor athletes’ names. If the official bulletin is found, the article will be updated.

The legacy of the debut

Entering JASC gave Santa Catarina Muaythai a state calendar with qualification through regional events, a model FECAMTT still keeps today: in 2026, the regional events on the road to JASC began in Pinhalzinho. Learn about the sport on the Muaythai page and about the Muaythai nas Escolas (“Muaythai in Schools”) project.

Want to compete for your city?

Athletes and coaches interested in the state stages can contact Mestre Paulo Ribeiro on Instagram @mestrepauloribeiro.