Charissa Tynan was elected as IFMA director general ©IFMA

Charissa Tynan has been elected as director general of the International Federation of Muaythai Associations (IFMA) at the organisation's Executive Board meeting in Bangkok.

Tynan has been part of IFMA since 2005 and has been the governing body's IFMA director since 2014.

She was unanimously voted in and confirmed by the IFMA Executive Board.

"Ms. Tynan has been an imperative part of the IFMA development and thanked the executives for their trust and promised to continue to serve IFMA and the athletes, the heart and soul of the federation and art and sport of muaythai," said the IFMA in a statement.

Charissa Tynan, left, is committed to driving gender equality in muaythai ©IFMA
Charissa Tynan, left, is committed to driving gender equality in muaythai ©IFMA

Tynan is set to take several responsibilities from IFMA general secretary Stephan Fox who is also the vice-president of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), President of the Alliance of Independent Recognized Members of Sport (AIMS) and President of United Through Sports.

Fox stated that with this change he will have more time for his non-IFMA roles, especially after his re-election with AIMS for another four years.

Tynan was instrumental in ensuring that muaythai was included on the 2023 European Games sporting programme, which will be the sport's debut at the event.

The 43-year-old is focused on achieving gender equality in the sport.

"For IFMA, gender equality is not about ticking the box, it is about ensuring that women and men have the same opportunities to shine together on one stage as one family."