World Association of Kickboxing Organizations

WAKO logo

Geert J. Lemmens, co-founder of WAKO

The World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO) is the largest international professional association for kickboxing . The WAKO consists of 126 national associations (as of January 2019), the vast majority of which are recognized by their respective National Olympic Committee (NOK). WAKO became a member of the World Sports Association Sportaccord (now GAISF) in 2006 and has been recognized by the IOC since 2018 . After the sudden death of the incumbent President Borislav Pelevic from Serbia in October 2018, Francesca Falsoni was interim president of WAKO until the previous vice-president Roy Baker (Ireland) was elected as the new president on February 2, 2019 . Pelevic's predecessor is Ennio Falsoni , who is still Honorary President.

founding

After founding the PKA ( Professional Karate Association ) in the USA in 1974, Brückner wanted to set up his own martial arts organization. WAKO was founded in 1977 by Georg F. Brückner , Marc Bigoureux , Mike Anderson , Geert J. Lemmens and other martial artists . At all preparatory meetings in Paris in 1976 and twice in Berlin in 1977, only Brückner and Lemmens were always present. The founding name of WAKO was "World All-Style Karate Organization". Only later was it renamed the "World Association of Kickboxing Organizations". At the beginning, all fighting styles were called karate . The International Amateur Kickboxing Sport Association , IAKSA for short, merged with the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations on October 22, 2006. WAKO-PRO was founded in 1991 for kickboxing professionals. In 2009, WAKO kickboxing was included in the SportAccord Combat Games (new: World Combat Games ) program. In April 2014, kickboxing was decided as an official sport by the IWGA General Assembly. The WAKO is thus recognized as the 37th member of the World Games Family (IWGA). As an "invitation sport", kickboxing will be present for the first time at the 2017 World Games.

aims

The main goal of WAKO was to organize its own world championships and European championships in full contact karate (kickboxing). The WAKO should also set and monitor international standards. The first world championship was held in Berlin as early as 1978 . The WAKO is striving for recognition by the IOC General Assembly for kickboxing as an Olympic sport. As an important milestone in this direction, the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO) was granted preliminary recognition at the board meeting of the International Olympic Committee on November 30, 2018 in Tokyo (Japan).

Disciplines

• Full contact
• Light contact
• Pointfighting (formerly Semikontakt)
• Low kick
• Musical forms
• Kick light
• K-1 Rules

Continental Associations

• Africa - with 22 member countries
• Pan-America - with 20 member countries
• Asia - with 32 member countries
• Europe - with 44 member countries
• Oceania - with 2 member countries

World championships

Seniors, Veterans / Masters

year	venue	country	Disciplines *
1978	Berlin	Germany	VK
1979	Florida	United States	PF
1979	Tampa	United States	VK
1981	Milan	Italy	PF
1983	London	England	PF, VK
1985	London	England	PF, VK
1987	Munich	Germany	PF, VK
1989	Mestre	Italy	PF, LK
1991	London	England	PF, LK
1991	Paris	France	VK
1993	Atlantic City, New Jersey	United States	PF, LK
1993	Budapest	Hungary	VK
1995	Stuttgart	Germany	PF, LK, FO
1995	Kiev	Ukraine	VK
1997	Danzig	Poland	PF, VK, FO
1997	Dubrovnik	Croatia	PF, LK, VK, FO
1999	Caorle	Italy	PF, LK, VK
2001	Maribor	Slovenia	PF, LK, FO
2001	Belgrade	Serbia	VK
2003	Paris	France	PF, LK, VK
2003	Yalta	Ukraine	PF, LK, VK, FO
2005	Szeged	Hungary	PF, LK, VK
2005	Agadir	Morocco	FO
2007	Lisbon	Portugal	PF, VK, FO
2007	Belgrade	Serbia	LK
2009	Lignano Sabbiadoro	Italy	PF, VK, FO
2009	Villach	Austria	LK
2011	Dublin	Ireland	PF, VK, FO
2011	Skopje	Macedonia	LK
2013	Antalya	Turkey	PF, LK, VK, FO
2015	Dublin	Ireland	PF, LK, VK, FO
2017	Budapest	Hungary	PF, LK, Kick Light, VK, LowKick, K1, FO
2019	Sarajevo	Bosnia and Herzegovina	LK, LowKick, K1
2019	Antalya	Turkey	PF, Kick Light, VK, FO

(* PF = pointfighting, LK = light contact, VK = full contact, FO = shapes; no claim to completeness)

See also

• WAKO Germany

Web links

• WAKO Germany
• WAKO Austria
• WAKO Switzerland
• WAKO Liechtenstein
• WAKO Europe
• WAKO International
• World Combat Games

Individual evidence

1. ↑ wako-web . Retrieved April 4, 2014.
2. ↑ WAKO Members List WAKO website
3. ↑ The structure of the WAKO . WAKO Germany
4. ↑ Founding of WAKO: 1977 on wako-deutschland.de
5. ↑ Founding of WAKO: 2006 on wako-deutschland.de
6. ↑ WAKO recognized by the IOC . on wakoweb.com
7. ^ Update on International Federations . on olympic.org