「ムエタイ」ではなく「クンクメール」　タイとカンボジアが対立

【バンコクＡＦＰ＝時事】タイ政府は２４日、格闘技「ムエタイ」について、５月にカンボジアで開催される東南アジア競技大会でタイ語の名称ではなくカンボジア語の名称を使用する計画があることに反発し、大会をボイコットすると発表した。（写真はコロナ禍を経て再開したタイ・バンコクのムエタイの聖地、ルンピニー・スタジアムでの試合）
　タイ政府当局者は、同国の国技であるムエタイをカンボジアは自らの国技であるとして「クンクメール」という名称を使おうとしていると非難している。
　一方、カンボジア政府は、世界的にはムエタイという名称の方が知られているが、競技の発祥地はカンボジアだと主張している。
　カンボジアが同大会を主催するのは初めて。
　タイのオリンピック委員会のチャルーン・ワタナシン副委員長は、国際オリンピック委員会（ＩＯＣ）はクンクメールという名称を承認していないと指摘。ＡＦＰの取材に対し、「国際的な規則に違反しており、タイからのムエタイ選手の参加は見送る」と述べた。
　カンボジアの東南アジア競技大会組織委員会の幹部バット・チャムロン氏は、「開催国には競技名をクンクメールに変える権利がある。競技はクメール発祥で、われわれの文化だ」と、ＡＦＰに説明した。
　世界プロムエタイ連盟のステファン・フォックス事務局長はＡＦＰに対し、「柔道が空手ではないように、クンクメールはムエタイではない。似ている点はあるかもしれないが、クンクメールには公認の連盟がない」と述べた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/01/26-13:06）

Thailand will boycott a kickboxing event at the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia in May, officials said Tuesday, in a row with the hosts over what to call the sport.
Thai officials are angry at plans by Cambodia to refer to the event -- which they regard as their national sport -- on the official programme as Kun Khmer instead of Muay Thai.
While the name Muay Thai may be better known around the world, Cambodian officials insist the sport originated from their Khmer culture.
The event is one of a series of combat sports at the 11-country regional Games, alongside regular kickboxing, karate, taekwondo, kun bokator and vovinam.
Cambodia is hosting the Games for the first time in 60 years.
Charoen Wattanasin, vice-chairman of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand, said the International Olympic Committee had not endorsed the term Kun Khmer.
They are violating international regulations for sports competitions, he told AFP.
The Thai Boxing Association won't be sending athletes to compete.
Cambodian sports officials are refusing to back down.
We are the host country so we have the right to change it to Kun Khmer as the sport has its origin in Khmer and it is our culture, Vath Chamroeun, secretary-general of the Cambodian Southeast Asian Games Organising Committee, told AFP.
We have to satisfy our people.
He said Cambodia would retaliate and not send fighters to Thailand when it hosts the 2025 Games. The sport will be called Muay Thai at that event.
The International Federation of Muay Thai Associations (IFMA) condemned the Cambodian move.
Kun Khmer is not Muay Thai, like judo is not karate. There might be similarities but Kun Khmer has no recognised federation, IFMA general secretary Stephan Fox told AFP.
- Regional rivalry -
As the sport's governing body, the IFMA would be responsible for organising it at the Games, including by providing referees and officials and arranging anti-doping measures.
Fox said the IFMA would not take part in the SEA Games in Cambodia and the federation has written to its members telling them not to go.
In a letter sent last week, the IFMA accused the Cambodian organisers of copying the Muay Thai technical handbook used at the last SEA Games, held in Hanoi last year, and simply changing the name to Kun Khmer.
The two kingdoms have repeatedly clashed over their cultural heritage, with 2011 seeing several months of bloody military conflict over a disputed temple on the border.
Cambodia ultimately won that dispute when the UN's top court ruled in its favour.
Muay Thai secured Olympic recognition as a sport in 2021, but its pathway to the Olympic Games is uncertain because of safety concerns.
It allows some moves that are banned in other forms of kickboxing, such as elbow- and knee-strikes.