ABOUT US

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Vision/Objective

Mongkon Academy is more than just a training gym. It is located in one of Bangkok’s most established hotels, Ambassador Hotel, in the heart of Bangkok on Sukhumit Soi 11. Mongkon Academy is about giving back. “Do Good Feel Good” is our motto; contributing towards the ones in need and at the same time, participating in the various activities the academy has on to offer.

Mongkon Academy has been built for the youth, particularly, the IFMA Youth World Championship in which junior athletes from over 100 countries come to Thailand for sporting and cultural exchange. Mongkon Academy, a unique sport and education facility, is part of the World Muaythai Council, under Royal patronage. Mongkon Academy is also under the official guardianship of IFMA, the elite world body for the art and sport of muaythai, recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

What makes Mongkon Academy different than any other training center?

First of all it is not a gym, it is an institution. The muaythai family believes, promotes and fosters the Olympic values and promotes Olympism in society. Blending sport with culture and education and believing in universal fundamental ethical principles and the belief that Every Body should have the right to play (hence why the gym is also supported by Right to Play) and that physical activities should be available without any kind of discrimination. This is why WMC and IFMA have joined important partnerships with Right to Play, UNESCO, UN Women, Generation for Peace, Peace and Sport and many others.

It is a playground to learn the very benefits muaythai has to offer as a cultural art form, exciting ring sport, a unique and realistic self-defense in addition to the deeply rooted spiritual elements. It is a place for Every Body. You are never too young or never too old. You are never too fit or never too unfit. All you have to bring is the right attitude and the willingness and openness to be part of a family which uses the power of sport to contribute in building a peaceful and better world and be part of the Olympic Spirit of mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship and solidarity.

The gym includes a full weight facility with cardio equipment, a full sized boxing ring, a private self-defense (muay boran) and weapons (Krabi Krabong) training room, a bag room, a running track, a 3x3 basketball court, sepak takraw, badminton, futsal and a half sized Olympic swimming pool.

The coaching team is made from experienced trainers understanding the needs of becoming the best YOU can be. It is made from former champions, some you will recognize from television shows such as The Biggest Loser, Contender Asia or Challenger Muaythai.

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Why do we use the slogan:

Do Good Feel Good ?

The entire gym is a charity project in cooperation with our partner United Through Sport to give back to society and to the most important effort, to provide for our children. Sadly we are living in a world of injustice where kids born in poverty, with opportunities which seem natural to many, are not available to them including education and the right to play and engage in a balanced and healthy lifestyle. This is why we engage (in fact, have won the World Spirit of Sport Award for our campaign Sport is Your Gang) in over 10, 000 children around the world to help take kids from the street and give them a sense of belonging and hope for a better tomorrow. The reason why so many organizations have joined, partnered and supported the initiative is simply because your sweat and your engagement in your sporting activities will provide for these children.

Amongst all the acts of kindness you make in your lifetime, here with us you will see with your own eyes the children and their progression. Many of these youths are migrant children with no stable home, but here at Mongkon Academy we are a family and we provide a home. Our doors are open to Every Body and we would like to welcome you!

Why do we choose the name Mongkon?

If you watch muaythai, you will ask yourself why do the athletes wear this funny headpiece around their head? It is called “mongkon” and it goes back to ancient times when the warriors went out to defend their freedom and their loved ones believing that this would bring them back home.

The mongkon represents a fighter’s respect and loyalty to their gym, trainer and family and it is believed to protect and bring good luck to the fighter wearing it. Today’s mongkons are usually made of rope whereas traditional mongkons often had strands of hair or pieces of garment from a loved one woven into the headpiece. When the mongkon is not worn, it is supposed to be kept high above the ground. The Thais believe that the head is the cleanest, most sacred part of the body.

Muaythai is built on 5 important pillars around the mongkon, standing for Respect, Honor, Tradition, Excellence and Fair Play. These are the pillars of life. We named the gym “Mongkon Academy” to remind us everyday of these pillars.

At Mongkon Academy, the Education and Learning Center (The Brain) is located on the top floor of the facility. It is here where the academy’s social and fun initiatives will take place. We protect and build the youth with love and respect. Fostering wholesome principles, feeding the mind with knowledge and the how to’s on how to maintain healthy lifestyles and bringing awareness about mental health education is a top priority of the academy. It is here where we aim to give disadvantaged, different ability and underprivileged youth the opportunity to learn and be a part of a supportive and sustainable community.

The lower half of the academy is the gym (The Body and 8 Limbs). This is where all the action happens. From The Traditional Art of the 8 Limbs (muaythai) to our Little Limbs youth program to basketball, volleyball, football, sepak takraw, badminton to even swimming, the academy’s main objective is to keep your body moving to “Feel Good”. The reality of it is that all the proceeds from the gym help to run the “Brain” (the Education Center) upstairs. Just like in traditional mongkons where garments or possessions of loved ones are woven into the mongkon, every baht you spend on your health will be invested into our charitable endeavors in the ultimate act of “Doing Good to Feel Good”.

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Who is Supporting?

Mongkon Academy is under the patronage of the WMC, which is under the patronage of His Majesty the King and the International Federation of Muaythai Amateur, which is recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Mongkon Academy is also working in close cooperation with UNESCO and UN Women and is supported and in partnership with many organizations such as United Through Sport (UTS) and Right to Play.

Bangkok hosted the 2018 Sport Accord Convention in which UTS organized various charity initiatives. The Bangkok Sport Festival, for the first time, received the chance to display the youth to be part of the event. This was fully supported by the world sport community as the International Olympic Committee received patronage to the event.

Bangkok hosted the 2018 Sport Accord Convention in which UTS organized various charity initiatives. The Bangkok Sport Festival, for the first time, received the chance to display the youth to be part of the event. This was fully supported by the world sport community as the International Olympic Committee received patronage to the event.

Mongkon Academy will host education and sport initiatives for children in need which is partly supported financially by the charity of the convention. The children of Bangkok and the children on the North Western border and the Tak Province say thank you to the world of sport and affiliated organizations. Mongkon Academy will do their part through their members to “Do Good” by “Feeling Good” through the various exercise programs provided. Your contribution will help to bring smiles and opportunities to the ones so desperately in need.

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Who we are Supporting: Social Initiatives

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Bangkok Initiative – Sport is Your Gang

In 2012, an initiative called “Sport is Your Gang” (in cooperation with Peace and Sport under the High Patronage of His Serene Highness, Prince Albert II, in cooperation with WMC and IFMA) had been formed. Sport Is Your Gang (SIYG) targets youth from challenging backgrounds, encouraging them to adopt Muaythai training and be motivated towards a healthy lifestyle and positive self-development. Rather than belonging to a gang or participating in a violent lifestyle, the spirit of the project is that sport can create a sense of family, a team and a community.

Within communities facing economic hardship, high unemployment rates, with large new immigrant populations, or in very urban environments, youth can find themselves feeling lonely, alienated, victims of crime or bullying and simply bored. Without obvious opportunities for self-advancement, they may also be drawn into gangs or behavior which is damaging to themselves and their local communities.

IFMA believes in the potential of sport and Muaythai in providing an alternative focus and therefore a path away from such destructive activities. Training together gives youth the opportunity to build a healthy lifestyle, learn skills and self-defense techniques, gain self-respect and self-esteem and most importantly, find a safe and trustworthy environment where they can build bonds with their peers and belong to a community.

SIYG is currently engaging over 10,000 youth from 20 countries around the world. To view the SIYG report page please click here: http://www.ifmamuaythai.org/ifma-initiatives/sport-is-your-gang-campaign/case-study-1-argentina/

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Tak Province Refugee Camps

Information about the Refugee Camps in the Tak Province

Along the Myanmar/Burma border and Western border of Thailand exists 9 refugee camps. These camps have existed for the last 30 years and for between 85,550- 97,395 people, these camps are home. The largest camp Mae La, has a population of around 40,000 whom live off donations and rations of food, clothes and basic necessities. For these people, their opportunities are limited and their future filled with uncertainty.

Right to Play (RTP) has worked with this camp since 2008 to provide educational opportunities, life skills and development training. United Through Sports (UTS) formed a partnership with RTP for the SportAccord convention 2018 in Bangkok. For this event UTS coordinated a 4-day festival for the community and for the elite sporting world.

A group of youths from the Mae La camp were invited to leave their camps and were welcomed into the sporting world family where they participated in various workshops, events and activities. They met with celebrity sportspeople including Bismack Biyombo, Christian Karembeu and Pascal Gentil. Dreams came true for some of these children who had the opportunity to stand on stage at the opening ceremony of the festival united with Thailand's Olympic athletes.

A group of youths from the Mae La camp were invited to leave their camps and were welcomed into the sporting world family where they participated in various workshops, events and activities. They met with celebrity sportspeople including Bismack Biyombo, Christian Karembeu and Pascal Gentil. Dreams came true for some of these children who had the opportunity to stand on stage at the opening ceremony of the festival united with Thailand's Olympic athletes.

UTS now welcomes disadvantaged and children with different abilities to join them at the gym and educational facility to receive free education, to make friends, we give them a chance to play different sports and to have fun! The doors are open to Every Body and we look forward to continuing to provide opportunity and smiles to so many.

Please see the link: https://www.theborderconsortium.org/media/118239/2018-10-october-map-tbc-unhcr.pdf

Contact

3rd Floor, Tower Wing Ambassador Hotel Address: 171 Sukhumvit Soi 11. Sukhumvit Road, Klongtuey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110 Closest BTS station: Nana
Telephone: +66 (0)820911038
Email: info@mongkonacademy.com


Hours of Operation:

Group Muaythai and Private Training
Monday – Friday
7am-9am – Morning Group Muaythai Training
9am-5pm – Private Training
5pm-7pm – Afternoon Group Muaythai Training
7pm-9pm – Private Training

Saturday
7am-12pm – Private Training
10am-11am – Muay Thai-gers Youth Program
12pm-2pm – Group Muaythai Training
3pm-5pm – Private Training

Sunday
no training

For bookings and inquiries about private training, group private training and corporate training please contact us for further information.

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