It’s an honour: Pinto (right) and his brother taking a photo with Macron in Bangkok. — Photo from Pinto’s Instagram page
French muay thai fighter Antoine Pinto has spoken of the pride he felt when he introduced his country’s president, Emmanuel Macron, to the Thai martial art in Bangkok.
Former professional muay thai boxer Pinto acted as a guide for the French leader when he toured Rajadamnern Stadium last Thursday night ahead of the Apec Summit.
Pinto said Macron, a keen sports fan, had thanked him for representing France as an athlete in Thailand.
“(Macron) is really lovely. He admires the muay thai martial art. It was my honour to introduce muay thai to him,” Pinto wrote on his social media account.
He also posted a video clip showing the French president holding a pair of muay thai gloves and posing with his guard up.
He captioned the photo, “This is another success for muay thai.”
Macron visited the legendary boxing stadium for about two hours, watching a demonstration bout and meeting with students from Lycee Francais International de Bangkok, a French international school.
The president also visited the Jim Thompson Art Centre.
Pinto, now 31 and an actor, is best known as the youngest foreign fighter to have competed at the prestigious Lumpinee Stadium at 14 and Rajadamnern Stadium at 15. — The Nation/ANN
