Staff Writer Vir Kanwar introduces the upcoming Queen of the Ring (QOTR IV) event to be taking place on 19th February at the Greenwood Theatre.
This coming Wednesday, the 19th, the KCL Muay Thai Kickboxing Society (KCLMT) will be hosting its fourth annual Queens of the Ring event at the Greenwood Theatre. It is the only women’s-exclusive Muay Thai fight night in the UK and will feature a lineup of many of KCL’s best fighters against competitors from several other universities from across the country. The night promises high-energy action, and an empowering demonstration of technique, strength, intensity and heart.
This year, Queen of the Ring will be fundraising for Women in Sport, KCLMT’s chosen charity partner. They are a leading UK organisation that aims to provide equal access and encourage participation in sports for young girls. This is something that the KCLMT committee have strived towards with combat sports, starting women’s only classes and offering free self-defence sessions for different women’s clubs. This work has resulted in the society currently having close to 45% of its members being women, an indicator of its commitment and success in this field.
Combat sports are very typically male-dominated in participation and interclub competitions also predominantly feature male fighters, making it a cyclically difficult sport for women to break into. Queens of the Ring was initially started in 2022 to try and combat this, hoping to promote inclusivity and inspire future fighters by providing a supportive environment for female athletes to showcase their skills.
This year’s fight night also introduces the ‘Fight Camp’ initiative – a programme offered by KCLMT that provides an unlimited free and personalised training camp to women from different KCL sports societies. QOTR IV will feature fights from members of the KCL Pole and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu societies, who will demonstrate what they have learnt in just six weeks.
Whether you’re a seasoned fight fan or just looking for an event to attend this reading week, this is an event you don’t want to miss! It’s an opportunity to support a meaningful cause, your friends, and be part of a movement that’s helping support the future of women in combat sports. Tickets will be sold at the door on the day, with a 100% of the proceeds going towards Women in Sport.
