Official Interview
Baron Marek Attila Janeček, President of the European Muay Τhai Confederation (EMC)
Interviewed by: Vangelis Xanthakis Ph.D.
(President of A.C. Panathinaia, Vice-President of EMC, President of the Hellenic Federation of Asian Sports)
Prague, January 18, 2026
Introduction
On January 18, 2026, the European Muay Thai Confederation(EMC) issued an official certificate recognizing Athletic Club Panathinaia the sole entity for the promotion and development of Muay Thai in Greece. In this exclusive interview, Baron Marek Attila Janeček delves into the underlying reasons for this landmark decision and outlines EMC’s position within the global Muay Thai landscape.
Vangelis Xanthakis: Mr. President, the EMC’s decision to grant Athletic Club Panathinaia the certificate as the exclusive promoter in Greece marks a historic milestone. Could you elaborate on the objective criteria that informed this choice?
Baron Marek Attila Janeček: The EMC, as the inaugural European Muay Thai Confederation(EMC)established on the continent with its headquarters in the Czech Republic, operates on core principles, historical continuity, cultural integrity, and athletic excellence. Our decision was grounded in three irrefutable criteria:
First, Chronological Foundation and Historical Continuity: Athletic Club Panathinaia has demonstrably advanced Muay Thai since 1998. Its uninterrupted 28-year track record at local, national, and international levels exemplifies enduring expertise and stability.
Second, Cultural Authenticity: In 2001, during an official visit, General Tienchai Sirisumphan designated Byron as the “Metropolis of Muay Thai.” This endorsement from a Thai legend integrates the club into the global heritage of the art, ensuring its role as a custodian of authenticity.
Third, Proven Efficacy: The academy has served as a gateway for world champions and international instructors, validating a holistic methodology that fuses artistry, sport, and ethics.
Vangelis Xanthakis: As Vice-President of the EMC and President of Panathinaia, how do I perceive this recognition from both facets of my identity?
Vangelis Xanthakis: In my capacity as EMC Vice-President, I view it as an administrative ruling rooted in data and principles. As President of Panathinaia, it affirms a 28-year journey fueled by faith in the authentic art, culminating in a binding institutional act. It honors the contributions of all instructors and students who have passed through the Byron hall.
Vangelis Xanthakis: Mr. President, the EMC is an autonomous European federation. How do you define your role vis-à-vis other international bodies in the sport, particularly following the International Olympic Committee’s recognition of the IFMA?
Baron Marek Attila Janeček: The EMC stands as an independent, legitimate, and historic institution.
Our mandate is clear, to foster and promote Muay Thai across the European continent in alignment with our statutes, values, and the needs of our European members.
We operate with complete autonomy.
Our policy prioritizes collaboration with entities that respect the cultural origins and athletic essence of the art, undeterred by external institutional developments.
We distinguish ourselves through our approach and our commitment to Europe.
Shifts in other frameworks do not impact our operations or legitimacy.
Vangelis Xanthakis: There is ongoing discourse about safeguarding MuayThai’s cultural heritage. Where does the EMC stand on this issue, given that Muay Thai was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on December 12, 2021?
Baron Marek Attila Janeček: The EMC’s stance is foundational and unwavering. UNESCO establishes that such practices belong to the originating communities and nations, with the primary aim of protection and authentic transmission.
The EMC fully adheres to this principle.
However, we observe with profound concern that revised constitutions of certain international federations, such as the IFMA’s updated version (e.g., September 2025), explicitly introduce the notion of “commercial exploitation of rights” over terms and practices intrinsically linked to this cultural heritage,including traditional forms like Muay Boran and Krabi Krabong.
This extends far beyond governing Muay Thai as a pre-Olympic sport, it targets the entirety of the cultural heritage as a monopolistic asset for exclusive management and monetization by a single international body.
In our view, this approach directly contravenes UNESCO’s ethos.
It commodifies a living heritage that demands protection, transforming it into a proprietary commodity detached from community control.
The EMC rejects this paradigm. Greece, through Athletic Club Panathinaia, can serve as a guiding light for Europe. We maintain that the core tenet must be reverence for the origins (Thailand), its foundational elements (Muay Boran, Krabi Krabong), and its history.
Every institutional entity should act as a bridge for this heritage, not its owner or exclusive administrator. The EMC champions a model of collaboration and humility.
Vangelis Xanthakis: Thus, your decision regarding Panathinaia and Greece is multifaceted. Could you elaborate further?
Baron Marek Attila Janeček: Precisely. Allow me to be thorough and precise. Our decision encompasses two inextricably linked layers:
Toward the Hellenic Federation of Asian Sports (H.A.S.F.): The E.Μ.C.recognizes H.A.S.F. as its sole and exclusive member in Greece.
This is not mere formality, it is a strategic choice underpinned by absolute trust that this federation, under your leadership, Mr. Xanthakis, embodies and implements EMC’s criteria and values at the national level.
There is no allowance for dual representations or rival entities. Greece speaks with one voice in the E.M.C. through H.A.S.F.
Toward A.S. Panathinaia: The certificate issued to Panathinaia is the logical and foundational extension of the above recognition,a practical application. We formally acknowledge that Athletic Club Panathinaia is not merely one among many clubs; it is the originating core, historical axis, and guaranteed center of knowledge upon which all development rests.
The chronological foundation is indisputable, since 1998.
The nature of its activities is verifiable: systematic, serious, and responsible promotion of Thailand’s Muay Thai cultural heritage, with the depth it demands.
Why this dual, absolute recognition?
Because the EMC seeks not “representatives” or “distributors,” but partners with depth and certainty.
Greece, via the triad of H.A.S.F. – Panathinaia – Xanthakis, provides exactly that: a unified, transparent, and historically documented structure, from the institutional body (H.A.S.F.) to the historic productive nucleus (Athletic Club Panathinaia), led by a figure who unites them.
This structure assures us that:
- Cultural heritage will be advanced with respect and without compromise.
- Athletic development will be based on technical and ethical soundness.
- Every initiative in Greece will have direct and credible linkage to the source of knowledge (Athletic Club Panathinaia) and the institutional organ (H.A.S.F.).
In summary: Exclusivity for H.A.S.F. and certification for Athletic Club Panathinaia are the two spindles of the same loom.
The former guarantees the institutional framework, the latter ensures content quality. Together, they form the strongest model for the proper, meritocratic, and culturally respectful growth of Muay Thai in a European nation.
Vangelis Xanthakis: Mr. President, I would like to highlight something fundamental about the EMC’s historical legitimacy and independence. The European Muay Thai Confederation(EMC) was founded in November 2004 as a completely independent organization with its headquarters in the Czech Republic. How do you perceive the EMC’s autonomous position?
Baron Marek Attila Janeček: What you mention, Mr. Xanthakis, is not merely significant,it is foundational and decisive. Allow me to articulate it with utmost clarity, as it encapsulates the full truth and irrevocable legitimacy of our position.
The European Muay Thai Federation (EMC) was founded in November 2004 as a completely independent and autonomous organization.
This is not a trivial fact; it is our legitimate and self-determined foundation.
The EMC is NOT a member of the World Muay Thai Federation (WMF).
The WMF has no authority over the EMC.
The EMC operates with complete independence and self-governance.
Our independence means that:
- We set our own policies, standards, and criteria for Muay Thai development in Europe.
- We determine our own partnerships and collaborations based on our values and principles.
- We answer only to our European member federations and to the principles of cultural respect and athletic excellence.
This independence is not isolation,it is sovereignty.
We collaborate with any organization that shares our respect for Muay Thai’s cultural origins and authentic transmission, but we do so as equals, never as subordinates.
Our autonomy allows us to make decisions like the recognition of H.A.S.F. and Athletic Club Panathinaia based purely on merit, history, and alignment with our values,free from external pressures or political considerations.
Regarding our commitment to Thailand’s cultural heritage
While we are not organizationally connected to any specific Thai federation, our reverence for Thailand as the birthplace of Muay Thai is absolute and unwavering.
We honor this heritage through our actions, our standards, and our insistence that cultural authenticity must never be compromised.
For over two decades, the EMC and its members have been cultural and athletic ambassadors for Muay Thai across Europe. We have:
- Built the European market for authentic Muay Thai.
- Trained thousands of athletes in the traditional art.
- Organized championships that honor both the sport and the culture.
- Transmitted the cultural heritage with the respect it deserves.
All of this we have done independently, guided by our principles and our commitment to excellence.
History is not an advocate; it is a judge. And history judges based on actions.
Our actions speak from November 2004 onward. We possess the documents, decisions, and track record of cultural stewardship and athletic development.
The EMC requires no external validation for legitimacy,we have built it through two decades of dedicated work. We stand firm in our mission to preserve truth, authenticity, and justice in the promotion of Muay Thai as a living cultural heritage.
Our response to any challenge is straightforward, We remain loyal to our founding principles, to our European members, and to the authentic spirit of Muay Thai as Thailand’s gift to the world.
We support Panathinaia as the natural extension of this commitment in Greece.
Vangelis Xanthakis: What is your final message with this action?
Baron Marek Attila Janeček: The message is twofold:
First, to Europe: The EMC, as an independent European federation founded in November 2004, will continue to support and recognize historic clubs that are the true guardians of the art ,those demonstrating respect for history, the discipline, and cultural heritage through their deeds. In Greece, these are H.A.S.F. and Athletic Club Panathinaia.
Second, to the athletic world: A nation’s cultural heritage is not a commodity.
It is a living tradition transmitted with respect.
Our recognition of Athletic Club Panathinaia and H.A.S.F. affirms that this path is the only one leading forward.
It is a pledge, A nation’s cultural heritage is not merchandise but a vibrant legacy.
And we in Europe bear the responsibility to convey it with the same purity with which we received it.
This was our decision, and we are profoundly proud of it.
Closing Note
This interview documents the official position of the European Muay Thai Confederation(EMC) and its historic ties to Athletic Club Panathinaia and the Hellenic Federation of Asian Sports (H.A.S.F.), based on verifiable facts and timelines.
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