W.A.K.O. European Championships 1978 was the second European kickboxing championships hosted by the W.A.K.O. organization and organized by the pioneer of German karate Georg Brueckner. The 1978 W.A.K.O. European championships were open to amateur men based in Europe only, with each country allowed more than one competitor in an individual weight category. The event also heralded a new category, Semi-Contact, which was introduced to feature alongside the existing Full-Contact category.[1] At the championships end, West Germany was by far the most successful nation, with the previous year's top nation, the Netherlands, finishing way behind in second, and Italy came third - more details on the winners and medal tables can be found in the sections below. The event was held in May 1978 in the border town of Wolfsburg, West Germany.
As with the previous years championships, the 1978 European Championships Full-Contact kickboxing category had seven weight divisions for men only, with all bouts fought under Full-Contact kickboxing rules. More details on Full-Contact's rules-set can be found on the W.A.K.O. website, although be aware that the rules have changed since 1978.[2] The weight divisions on offer ranged from 57 kg/125.4 lbs to over 87 kg/191.4 lbs - with the heaviest division having a slight minimum increase of 3 kg on the 1977 championships. The medal winners of each division are shown below with the host West Germany being by far the most dominant nation in Full-Contact, winning five gold, four silver and two bronze medals.[3]
Men's Full-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table
Event
Gold
Silver
Bronze
-57kg
Ali Pehlivan
Constantinos Goris
Jonny Canabate
-63kg
Ivan Menes
Rafik Jamali
Gunter Dienstl
-69kg
Omar Salhi
Javier Muniz
Tone Spiljak
-74kg
Peter Harbrecht
Klaus Lutze
Slobodon Sokota
-79kg
Daryl Tyler
Dieter Herdel
Bernd Eggert
-87kg
Maurice Moore
Flavio Galessi
Gianni Rugliancic
+87kg
Tom Rissmann
Milan Rokvic
Manfred Vogt
Men's Semi-Contact Kickboxing
The 1978 European Championships saw the introduction of a second category, Semi-Contact, a form of kickboxing which differed from Full-Contact in that competitors were not allowed to use excessive force and won fights instead by relying on speed, skill and technique to score points - more detail on Semi-Contact rules can be found on the W.A.K.O. website, although be aware that much has changed since 1978.[4] As with Full-Contact there were seven weight divisions at the championships for men only, ranging from 57 kg (125.4 lbs) to over 84 kg (184.8 lbs). The medal winners of each division are shown below with West Germany being the strongest nation in Semi-Contact, winning five gold, three silver and two bronze medals.[5]
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Wolfsburg, West Germany 
