Athlete Equipment
  • Gloves Athletes shall wear the gloves which the organizer of the competition has placed at their disposal and have been approved by ITOC. Athletes are not allowed to wear their own gloves.
    • Certification ITOC will continue to establish the specification for the manufacture of competitive gloves for ITOC competition. Local Organizing Committees must seek approval from the appropriate ITOC Federation overseeing their competition; ITOC approves for the ITOC World Championships, the Continental Federation approves for Continental Championships, and National Federations approve for all competitions under their control. The organiser may normally use whatever ITOC approved gloves are most readily available unless the responsible ITOC organisation designates a specific manufacturer.
    • Specification The gloves shall weigh 10 ounces (284 grams) of which the leather portion shall not weigh more than half of the total weight and the padding not less than half the total weight. The padding of the gloves shall not be displaced or broken. All Athletes in any one contest must wear exactly the same gloves from the same manufacturer, and only clean and serviceable gloves of red and blue colour may be used.
    • Glove Supervision All gloves, wraps and bandages shall be fitted under the supervision of 1 or 2 knowledgeable individuals appointed for the purpose who will see that all the rules have been carefully observed. The Glove Supervisors should tape and sign the wrist of each pair of gloves fitted on an Athlete and will delegate security duties to ensure that all rules are observed until the Athletes enter the ring.
    • When to Remove Gloves The gloves shall be taken off outside of the ring after the contest decision is announced.
  • Bandages & Hand Wraps A soft surgical bandaging (see Fig. 1) not longer than 5 m and whose width does not exceed 5 cm or a “Velcro” hand wraps (see Fig. 2) not longer than 5 m on each hand should be used – no other kind of bandage may be used. Bandages for use at Continental and World tournaments will be provided by the organising committee.
    • Tape The use of any kind of tapes – rubber or adhesive plaster – as bandages is strictly forbidden. A single strap of adhesive 7.5 cm long and 2.5 cm wide may be used at the upper wrists to secure the bandages.
    • Inspection The bandages / hand wraps of the athlete shall be inspected before being provided their competition equipment. The hand wraps may be inspected at any later time by the Referee or Jury, including after a decision has been rendered.
  • Head Guard, Shin guard, & Elbow Guard The use of the head guard, shin guard, and elbow guards are mandatory, and shall be provided to Athletes by the Organizing Committee.
    • Head Guard The head guard (see Fig. 3 and 4) shall conform to ITOC specifications and have no cheek protectors, chin guard or face shield. Athletes must come into the ring without their head guard – only after having been presented to the audience, sealing the ring, performing the Wai Kru, and shaking of hands has been completed shall it be put in. The head guard shall be taken off immediately after the contest is over and before the decision is announced.
      The head guard is not permitted to be removed or undone during a contest unless under the supervision of the Jury or Referee.

    • Shin Guard & Elbow Guard The shin guard (see Fig. 5) and elbow guards (see Fig. 6) for competition shall be made of cloth. If taping is required it shall be supplied by the Local Organizing Committee.
  • Body Protector The use of a corner colour coordinated body protector is mandatory for all Athletes competing in the U23 and Youth divisions. It is not to be worn in Senior divisions.
    Division Body Protector
    Senior No
    U23 Yes
    Youth 16-17
    Youth 14-15
    Youth 12-13
    Youth 10-11
  • GUM SHIELD A gum shield (see Fig. 9) shall be worn by all Athletes before the commencement of a round. The gum shield should be form-fitted. It is forbidden for an Athlete to intentionally remove their gum shield during the contest and if the Athlete does so, the Athlete shall be warned or disqualified. Should an athlete’s gum shield be removed from their mouth, it should be rinsed by the Athlete’s Second before being returned to the Athlete’s mouth.
    • Ankle Protection No ankle protection (cloth anklet, tape, etc) may be worn.
    • Groin Guard The use of a groin guard is mandatory. To observe hygiene, all Athletes male and female must have their own groin protectors. Each groin guard must pass inspection prior to competition.
      • Male Groin Guards Male Athletes shall wear a metal (see Fig. 10) or polycarbonate (see Fig. 11) groin guard, and a jock strap may be worn in addition.
      • Female Groin Guards For Female Athletes, a polycarbonate (see Fig. 12) or foam (see Fig. 13) groin guard shall be worn
    • Female Chest Protection The use of chest protection is mandatory for all Female Athletes competing in an Senior division to guard against hematoma formation within soft tissue areas of the breast proper. Each chest protector must pass inspection prior to competition.
      Division Chest Protection
      Senior Optional
      U23 Yes
      Youth 16-17
      Youth 14-15
      Youth 12-13
      Youth 10-11
    • Clothing & Dress Athletes shall wear the competition clothing and dress when provided by the Organizing Committee, in accordance with the following:
      • Shorts Muaythai shorts must be worn for competition and the wording “Muaythai” clearly displayed on the front.
      • Shirts Male and female Athletes must wear a singlet in red or blue according to their corner colour. Shirts shall be tucked into the belt line of the shorts.
      • Mongkon & Prajiad Athletes must wear the sacred headband (Mongkon) for paying homage during the Wai Kru. A Krueng-Wrang (Prajiad/arm band) with a leather or fabric amulet or charm may be put on around the upper arm, biceps or waist but must be neatly covered. The Referee may request that a Prajiad is removed if the strings are longer than 5 cm or delay competition by becoming undone/falling.
      • Hair Should be tied (ponytail, braided, etc) and must be secured in a hairnet to be contained within the head guard so as not to obscure the face of the Athlete and prevent risk to either Athlete from its movement. Hair clips are not permitted.
      • Head & Body Cover Head and body covers may be worn by Athletes to comply with cultural requirements and shall consist of the following:
      • LINIMENT & VASELINE A reasonable amount of Vaseline is permitted on the face only for the purpose of reducing the risk of cuts. On any other part of the body, the use of grease, Vaseline, rubbing lineament, or products likely to be harmful or objectionable to an opponent is forbidden.
      • NATIONAL FLAGS A country’s flag are not permitted to be displayed within the field of play.
      • EQUIPMENT & DRESS INFRACTIONS The Referee shall exclude from the contest any Athlete whose equipment or dress does not conform to the standards set above. In the event of the Athlete’s glove or dress becoming undone during the contest, the Referee shall stop the contest to have it attended to.