Which sports have World Championship tournament rights fully owned by Thais?
The rise of Thai individuals or organizations as "World Championship IP Owners" marks a significant milestone.
It represents a major turning point in the global sports and entertainment industry.
This means truly controlling the rights, management, and intellectual property assets (Sports IP) on the international stage.
Focusing solely on global tournaments and platforms where "Thais currently own 100% of the rights,"
there are clear and prominent examples as follows.
1. Jet Ski (Waterjet) — WGP#1 Tournament
This business model is the most successful in building a Thai brand into a global brand and serves as a true example of creating a "Thai-Owned Global IP."
Ownership model: Thailand, with Asian Multi Sport and Entertainment Co., Ltd. (AME) as the developer and platform creator.
AME owns the rights to the "WGP#1 Waterjet World Series" and the "WGP#1 Waterjet World Cup" world championship tournaments.
Influence: It is a world series points-accumulation competition system that has expanded events across continents (Europe, America, Oceania).
Athletes from around the world compete for the world championship title in the final event held in Thailand.
It is the only sport where Thais control the rules, ecosystem, and 4K broadcast rights worldwide comprehensively.
2. Muay Thai — Content and Professional World Championship Rights
Although "Muay Thai" as the national sport cannot be owned by any individual, the most influential brand and professional world championship tournament rights are managed and driven by Thais:
ONE Championship: A global platform that hosts professional Muay Thai world championship matches (along with other martial arts), registered in Singapore.
International Federation of Muaythai Associations (IFMA): For amateur world championships, IFMA is headquartered and led by Thais, overseeing and holding rights to world tournaments in over 140 countries.
Strategic value:
The shift of Thais from "license buyers" or "event contractors" to "IP Owners"
greatly enhances the country's competitive edge.
It allows Thailand to set directions on commercial rights
and to use this as a tool to export "Soft Power"
globally in a genuine and sustainable way!!!
- Bee Bangpakong -