Kicking and punching each other before a ferocious crowd, the Muay Thai child warriors forced to fight by parents who wager every penny they have on them. Battling for victory in front of a ferocious crowd.The shocking black and white photos form part of an eye-opening series by German photographer Sandra Hoyn called Die Kampfkinder, roughly translated as Fighting Kids.
Buoyed on by their parents these children who are as young as six, are forced to fight for money in front of an excited audience who have placed bets on who will win. They are the instrument for the parents to earn money, and they have to win the fight because the parents bet a lot of money on them. A lot of people lose all their money in one night.' Ms Hoyn said that although money bets are illegal in Thailand, they do not seem to be enforced. In Thai culture Muay Thai is a part of life and boys and girls train from an early age and it is not uncommon that children as young as these take part in tournaments in front of hundreds of spectators.
Televised fights are the most popular shows on television and the streets empty when big fights are being held, in villages all over the country people cluster around any available television. The popular sport is deeply entwined with the country’s history and was developed centuries ago as a way for Thai men to a way to defend themselves without using weapons.
Never-ending invasions from neighbouring countries in the early days of the Kingdom saw the people of Thailand rely on hand-to-hand combat to defend their land.
Muay Thai is also called the 'Art of Eight Limbs' or the 'Science Of Eight Limbs' as it uses eight points of contacts: hands, elbows, knees and feet when punching and kicking.
The word Muay derives from mavya, a word meaning ‘to bind together’ in Sanskrit.
[Jill Reilly/KPN]
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