Kyar Ba Nyein
Encyclopedia
"Kyar" Ba Nyein was the Burmese boxer
who participated in the 1952 Summer Olympics boxing
and was a pioneer
in modernizing the Lethwei
, or Burmese traditional boxing. Ba Nyein started boxing
at the age of 13, and fought about 50 matches
in 20 years until retiring from fighting at the age of 33.
Ba Nyein (Mohammad Mustafa) studied at Wesleyan School
(BEHS 16 Mandalay) and later transferred to SPG
(the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel) in Foreign Parts' Royal Diocesan High School
(No. 10 BEHS Mandalay) for a few years. Lastly, he studied at the Mandalay National High School
(present day BEHS 2 Mandalay), where he started learning boxing. He was trained by Sinhalese
Anglo-Burman Bill Fisher. He had trained in 1947 with the famous boxer, Than Yin a Mandalay
Police Officer
, who received the best boxer award given by world heavyweight champion Gene Tunney
in Sri Lanka
. Ba Nyein learned his famous "infighting" from Than Yin. In 1936, he became National School Cup Champion
at 13. During the Second World War, he left school.
and was painting the Signages
for a living. He was the champion of the Kyar-Hto game, which is a Burmese variant of the Draughts
Board Games. He got his nickname "Kyar" (Tiger) from the famous Burmese Draughts player in Mandalay, Ba Thein Gyi, known as "Kyar" Ba Thein Gyi, who taught him the tactics and strategy of the game. He soon adopted the nickname "Kyar Kalay" (lit., "Little Tiger"). In the 1974 boxing tournament, he won the Bantamweight
class and became Champion, and newspapers started to call him Kyar Kalay Ba Nyein. This was later changed to Kyar Ba Nyein. When he established the Golden tiger boxing club
, his ring name
was firmly established as Kyar Ba Nyein.
who used scientific techniques
” award in 1949. (He competed with Min Kywe, Samuel from St. Paul, Ki White and Saw Hadi). His best match occurred in 1951 with the Indian
featherweight
Champion
P. Bose. The Indian team won six matches against Burmese contenders, but Kyar Ba Nyein bested the Indian in that match. P. Bose, who Kyar Ba Nyein defeated, was India’s best featherweight champion and was selected to represent India twice in the previous Olympics
. Because of this, Kyar Ba Nyein was selected to compete on behalf of Burma in the 15th Olympics held in Helsinki, Finland, in 1952.
Ba Nyein was sent to Bangkok
for International Boxing Association
's Referee
examination.
His numerous articles, stories on World Boxing matches, news, sports news commentaries and reports were later published regularly in magazines and journals such as: Myawaddy, Thwe Thauk (Comrade), Mogyo (Thunder) and Tagun (Banner). His first book published was, “Blood on the sand”.
. He established Golden Tiger Boxing clubs in Dah dan 25th. street and another near the Burma Muslim Congress on the 83rd. street. He trained hundreds of young boxers.
He was appointed a boxing trainer in 1954 by the National Fitness Council. Ye Chit, Ye Swe, Ye Myint and Ye Tint from Mandalay were the boxers he trained from Mandalay. Tint Tun, Alexandria and Hla Shwe (Navy) from Rangoon were also his trainees. Kyar Ba Nyein was so proud about the success of his boxers and once told Ludu Daw Ah Mar that he never got the serious injuries or scars during his 50 boxing matches including seven with foreigners. But he got multiple scars while training his boxers because he allowed his trainees to hit him during the sections to practically teach how to attack back without stepping back to avoid the opponent’s assault.
since 1953. He went around the whole Burma especially up to Mon and Karen States, near Thailand, where there are a lot of villagers active in Burmese traditional boxing or Lethwei
. He brought them back to Mandalay and Rangoon, trained with the new scientific methods and encouraged them to fight in the Burmese traditional boxing matches, which he had organized around the country and even once in October 1960 to Beijing
and Shanghai
, China
after he led about 100 boxers to show the Burmese traditional boxing or Lethwei
at the signing ceremony of Burma-China boarder treaty. At that time the group leader of Burmese delegation was Lt.Col.Aung Gyi. He organized the goodwill matches by leading a group of Burmese traditional boxers to Thailand.
Kyar Ba Nyein passed in 1979 away with Ca Rectum.
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
who participated in the 1952 Summer Olympics boxing
Boxing at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Final results for the Boxing competition at the 1952 Summer Olympics. The events were held at Messuhalli.-Medal table:- Flyweight :- Bantamweight :- Featherweight :- Lightweight :...
and was a pioneer
Innovator
An innovator in a general sense, is a person or an organization who is one of the first to introduce into reality something better than before. That often opens up a new area for others and achieves an innovation.-History:...
in modernizing the Lethwei
Lethwei
Lethwei is an unarmed Burmese martial art. It is similar to related styles of Indochinese kickboxing, namely Muay Thai from Thailand, pradal serey from Cambodia, Muay Lao from Laos and tomoi from Malaysia.- History :...
, or Burmese traditional boxing. Ba Nyein started boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
at the age of 13, and fought about 50 matches
Match
A match is a tool for starting a fire under controlled conditions. A typical modern match is made of a small wooden stick or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by frictional heat generated by striking the match against a suitable surface...
in 20 years until retiring from fighting at the age of 33.
Education
Born in 1923, Ba Nyein's official height was listed at 5 ft. 4 inches, weighing in at 120 lbs. His wife’s name was Kyi Kyi. He and his wife had 10 children by the time Ba Nyein was 40.Ba Nyein (Mohammad Mustafa) studied at Wesleyan School
Wesleyan School
Wesleyan School is an independent K-12 school located 20 miles north of Atlanta in the suburb of Peachtree Corners. It was founded in 1963 and has existed on its current grounds since 1996. The school includes grades K-12 with a total student body of 1122 for the 2010-2011 school year...
(BEHS 16 Mandalay) and later transferred to SPG
USPG
The USPG or United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel is a 300-year-old Anglican missionary organization, formed originally as the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts in 1701...
(the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel) in Foreign Parts' Royal Diocesan High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
(No. 10 BEHS Mandalay) for a few years. Lastly, he studied at the Mandalay National High School
Mandalay National High School
Britain made Burma a province of India in 1886 with the capital at Rangoon. While the Burmese economy grew, all the power and wealth remained in the hands of several British firms and migrants from India...
(present day BEHS 2 Mandalay), where he started learning boxing. He was trained by Sinhalese
Sinhalese people
The Sinhalese are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group,forming the majority of Sri Lanka,constituting 74% of the Sri Lankan population.They number approximately 15 million worldwide.The Sinhalese identity is based on language, heritage and religion. The Sinhalese speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and the...
Anglo-Burman Bill Fisher. He had trained in 1947 with the famous boxer, Than Yin a Mandalay
Mandalay
Mandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. Located north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of one million, and is the capital of Mandalay Region ....
Police Officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
, who received the best boxer award given by world heavyweight champion Gene Tunney
Gene Tunney
James Joseph "Gene" Tunney was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1926-1928 who defeated Jack Dempsey twice, first in 1926 and then in 1927. Tunney's successful title defense against Dempsey is one of the most famous bouts in boxing history and is known as The Long Count Fight...
in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. Ba Nyein learned his famous "infighting" from Than Yin. In 1936, he became National School Cup Champion
Champion
A champion is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition.There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, and even further divisions at one or more of these levels, as in soccer. Their champions...
at 13. During the Second World War, he left school.
After the Second World War
After the war, Nyein was with the Allied soldiersAllies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
and was painting the Signages
Signage
Signage is any kind of visual graphics created to display information to a particular audience. This is typically manifested in the form of wayfinding information in places such as streets or inside/outside of buildings.-History:...
for a living. He was the champion of the Kyar-Hto game, which is a Burmese variant of the Draughts
Draughts
Draughts is a group of abstract strategy board games between two players which involve diagonal moves of uniform pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over the enemy's pieces. Draughts developed from alquerque...
Board Games. He got his nickname "Kyar" (Tiger) from the famous Burmese Draughts player in Mandalay, Ba Thein Gyi, known as "Kyar" Ba Thein Gyi, who taught him the tactics and strategy of the game. He soon adopted the nickname "Kyar Kalay" (lit., "Little Tiger"). In the 1974 boxing tournament, he won the Bantamweight
Bantamweight
Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...
class and became Champion, and newspapers started to call him Kyar Kalay Ba Nyein. This was later changed to Kyar Ba Nyein. When he established the Golden tiger boxing club
Sports club
A sports club or sport club, sometimes athletics club or sports association is a club for the purpose of playing one or more sports...
, his ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
was firmly established as Kyar Ba Nyein.
Achievements
Ba Nyein was awarded with “The best boxerBoxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
who used scientific techniques
Scientific technique
A scientific technique is any systematic way of obtaining information about a scientific nature or to obtain a desired material or product.Scientific techniques can be divided in many different groups, e.g.:# Preparative techniques...
” award in 1949. (He competed with Min Kywe, Samuel from St. Paul, Ki White and Saw Hadi). His best match occurred in 1951 with the Indian
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
featherweight
Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...
Champion
Champion
A champion is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition.There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, and even further divisions at one or more of these levels, as in soccer. Their champions...
P. Bose. The Indian team won six matches against Burmese contenders, but Kyar Ba Nyein bested the Indian in that match. P. Bose, who Kyar Ba Nyein defeated, was India’s best featherweight champion and was selected to represent India twice in the previous Olympics
Summer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
. Because of this, Kyar Ba Nyein was selected to compete on behalf of Burma in the 15th Olympics held in Helsinki, Finland, in 1952.
Ba Nyein was sent to Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
for International Boxing Association
International Boxing Association
The International Boxing Association is a for-profit organization that sanctions professional boxing matches and awards world and subordinate championships.- Origins :...
's Referee
Referee (boxing)
The referee in the boxing is the individual charged with enforcing the rules of that sport during a match.-The role of the referee:Referees have the following roles:*Gives instructions to both boxers before the fight...
examination.
Sports Reporter, Painter, Author and Journalist
Ba Nyein started as a volunteer Sports Reporter for Ludu Newspaper and Ludu Journal while following his younger brother Ba Thein, who was already a reporter at that newspaper.His numerous articles, stories on World Boxing matches, news, sports news commentaries and reports were later published regularly in magazines and journals such as: Myawaddy, Thwe Thauk (Comrade), Mogyo (Thunder) and Tagun (Banner). His first book published was, “Blood on the sand”.
Voluntary works and training young boxers
He was the first Burmese who persuaded and trained the youths on the streetStreet Child
Street Child is a debut album by Mexican alternative rock vocalist, Elan. It contains her biggest hit, Midnight.Ricardo Burgos from Sony Music called Street Child "a history making release in Latin America".-Re-edition track listing:...
. He established Golden Tiger Boxing clubs in Dah dan 25th. street and another near the Burma Muslim Congress on the 83rd. street. He trained hundreds of young boxers.
He was appointed a boxing trainer in 1954 by the National Fitness Council. Ye Chit, Ye Swe, Ye Myint and Ye Tint from Mandalay were the boxers he trained from Mandalay. Tint Tun, Alexandria and Hla Shwe (Navy) from Rangoon were also his trainees. Kyar Ba Nyein was so proud about the success of his boxers and once told Ludu Daw Ah Mar that he never got the serious injuries or scars during his 50 boxing matches including seven with foreigners. But he got multiple scars while training his boxers because he allowed his trainees to hit him during the sections to practically teach how to attack back without stepping back to avoid the opponent’s assault.
Lethwei or Burmese traditional boxing
He was the pioneer who drew up the modern scientific rules and regulations for the Burmese traditional boxing or LethweiLethwei
Lethwei is an unarmed Burmese martial art. It is similar to related styles of Indochinese kickboxing, namely Muay Thai from Thailand, pradal serey from Cambodia, Muay Lao from Laos and tomoi from Malaysia.- History :...
since 1953. He went around the whole Burma especially up to Mon and Karen States, near Thailand, where there are a lot of villagers active in Burmese traditional boxing or Lethwei
Lethwei
Lethwei is an unarmed Burmese martial art. It is similar to related styles of Indochinese kickboxing, namely Muay Thai from Thailand, pradal serey from Cambodia, Muay Lao from Laos and tomoi from Malaysia.- History :...
. He brought them back to Mandalay and Rangoon, trained with the new scientific methods and encouraged them to fight in the Burmese traditional boxing matches, which he had organized around the country and even once in October 1960 to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
and Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
after he led about 100 boxers to show the Burmese traditional boxing or Lethwei
Lethwei
Lethwei is an unarmed Burmese martial art. It is similar to related styles of Indochinese kickboxing, namely Muay Thai from Thailand, pradal serey from Cambodia, Muay Lao from Laos and tomoi from Malaysia.- History :...
at the signing ceremony of Burma-China boarder treaty. At that time the group leader of Burmese delegation was Lt.Col.Aung Gyi. He organized the goodwill matches by leading a group of Burmese traditional boxers to Thailand.
Kyar Ba Nyein passed in 1979 away with Ca Rectum.
External links
- MyanmarMyanmarBurma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
Olympians in the official web-page of Myanmar Ministry of sports.http://www.mosports.gov.mm/olympian.htm - Ludu Daw AmarLudu Daw AmarLudu Daw Amar was a well known and respected leading dissident writer and journalist in Mandalay, Burma. She was married to fellow writer and journalist Ludu U Hla and was the mother of popular writer Nyi Pu Lay...
's Mandalaythu Mandalaytha mya or Mandalayans 1991 book, "Burmese Muslim Kyar Ba Nyein”http://www.scribd.com/doc/14281120/Kyar-ba-nyein - MandalayMandalayMandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. Located north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of one million, and is the capital of Mandalay Region ....
150th. Anniversary Magazine (Printed in May 2009 published by U Sein Shwe @ Sein Shwe Hlaing, Chief Editor Maung Hla Paw - Mandalay.) Shwebo Barmati Aung Khin’s,”Burmese famous boxers in the World Olympic Boxing Ring", page 430 http://drkokogyi.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/famous-boxer-kyar-tiger-ba-nyein-was-the-brother-in-law-of-my-grandfather-u-pyaw/scan0061/, 431 http://drkokogyi.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/famous-boxer-kyar-tiger-ba-nyein-was-the-brother-in-law-of-my-grandfather-u-pyaw/scan0062/ and 432http://drkokogyi.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/famous-boxer-kyar-tiger-ba-nyein-was-the-brother-in-law-of-my-grandfather-u-pyaw/scan0063/ - Myanmar traditional boxing, LethweiLethweiLethwei is an unarmed Burmese martial art. It is similar to related styles of Indochinese kickboxing, namely Muay Thai from Thailand, pradal serey from Cambodia, Muay Lao from Laos and tomoi from Malaysia.- History :...
by Author and Publisher Mya Win, Feb 1980, Lutlatyae sarpae, Ahauttaw Hla Aung, Thadin Journel. Yangon.http://www.mediafire.com/?2dnmyinzizm