RIYADH: Saudi Arabia welcomed Muay Thai fighters to the capital for the 2023 Kingdom Open Championship on Thursday. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport Established in 2019 and organized by the Saudi Arabian Muaythai Boxing Federation, the competition will run until Jan. 20 at the Self-Defense Hall at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium. Scheduled each day between 2pm and 9pm, the contest will feature 314 male boxers and 61 female boxers who will compete in 181 weight and age categories. The federation also invited regional talent to participate in the three-year-old competition. The Saudi federation, led by Prince Fahad bin Mansour, aims to improve the technical level of local athletes in the sport. Saudi competitors have done well of late and have had a number of successes in 2023, including winning a gold medal in the World Championship for Adults and four bronzes in the same event in Thailand. They also achieved the highest number of awards in the World Combat Games, which took place in Riyadh.