W.A.K.O. European Championships 2008 (Varna)

Last updated

W.A.K.O. European Championships 2008 (Varna)
Wako.jpg
The poster for W.A.K.O. European Championships 2008 (Varna)
Information
Promotion W.A.K.O.
Date2225 October 2008
Venue Palace of Culture and Sports
City Flag of Bulgaria.svg Varna, Bulgaria
Event chronology
W.A.K.O. World Championships 2007 (Coimbra) W.A.K.O. European Championships 2008 (Varna) W.A.K.O. European Championships 2008 (Oporto)

W.A.K.O. European Championships 2008 in Varna were the joint twenty European kickboxing championships held by the W.A.K.O. organization arranged by the Bulgarian kickboxing chief Boyan Kolev, with the second event to be held the next month in Oporto, Portugal. It was the second W.A.K.O. event to be held in Varna and Bulgaria (the last was in 1992) and involved around 500 amateur men and women from 35 countries across Europe.

Contents

There were four styles on offer at Varna: Full-Contact and Semi-Contact kickboxing, Musical Forms and Aero-Kickboxing. Only one competitor per weight division were allowed to participate in the Full and Semi-Contact divisions and this also applied for Aero-Kickboxing (which had no weight divisions), while Musical Forms was allowed two maximum per country. The other styles (Low-Kick, K-1, Light-Contact) would be available at the later event in Portugal. The top nation by the end of the championships was Hungary, with regular leaders Russia in second and Ukraine in third. The event was held over four days at the Palace of Culture and Sports in Varna, Bulgaria, starting on Wednesday, 22 October and ending on Saturday, 25 October 2008. [1] [2]

Full-Contact

Full-Contact is a style of kickboxing where punches and kicks are allowed to be thrown by the participants at full force, with strikes below the waist prohibited. Most fights result in a judge’s decision or stoppage victory and as with most other forms of amateur kickboxing, head and various body protection must be worn. More information on Full-Contact and the rules can be found at the official W.A.K.O. website. [3] The men had twelve weight divisions in Varga ranging from 51 kg/112.2 lbs to over 91 kg/+200.2 lbs while the women had seven ranging from 48 kg/105.6 lbs to over 70 kg/+143 lbs. Unlike previous W.A.K.O. championships there was not an influx of talent at the Varga event with only several repeat winners such as Alexey Tokarev, having won gold at the world championships in Coimbra the previous year, and Serhiy Cherkaskyy and Hamza Kendircioğlu, having won gold medals at the Europeans in Lisbon two years before. Russia were the strongest nation in the style, pipping neighbours Ukraine into first place by virtue of having won five golds, two silvers and two bronze. [4]

Men's Full-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table

EventGoldSilverBronze
Light Bantamweight -51 kgVyacheslav Kanayev Flag of Russia.svg Ivan Sciolla Flag of Italy.svg Artem Skobchenko Flag of Ukraine.svg
Wojciech Perit Flag of Poland.svg
Bantamweight -54 kgSerhiy Cherkaskyy Flag of Ukraine.svg Franck Gross Flag of France.svg Filip Ehsan Flag of Bulgaria.svg
Ilnaz Sayfullin Flag of Russia.svg
Featherweight -57 kgAlexander Shamray Flag of Russia.svg Damian Ławniczak Flag of Poland.svg Gregor Debeljak Flag of Slovenia.svg
Johannes Wolf Flag of Germany.svg
Lightweight -60 kgVasily Zaytsev Flag of Russia.svg Søren Jørgensen Flag of Norway.svg Prodan Iovchev Flag of Bulgaria.svg
Emrah Ogut Flag of Turkey.svg
Light Welterweight -63.5 kgGabor Gorbics Flag of Hungary.svg Kenan Gunaydin Flag of Turkey.svg Kostyantyn Demoretskyy Flag of Ukraine.svg
Tomasz Pietraszewski Flag of Poland.svg
Welterweight -67 kgEdmond Mebenga Flag of France.svg Davyd Ahakhanov Flag of Ukraine.svg Ibrahim Cicek Flag of Turkey.svg
Jarkko Jussila Flag of Finland.svg
Light Middleweight -71 kgChristian Kvatningen Flag of Norway.svg Vladimir Tarasov Flag of Russia.svg Svetoslav Malechkov Flag of Bulgaria.svg
Przemysław Ziemnicki Flag of Poland.svg
Middleweight -75 kgAndreas Lødrup Flag of Norway.svg Stilian Angelov Flag of Bulgaria.svg Pavel Garaj Flag of Slovakia.svg
Viktor Pethes Flag of Hungary.svg
Light Heavyweight -81 kgIgor Prykhodko Flag of Ukraine.svg Artak Aganesyan Flag of Russia.svg Ferenc Hosszu Flag of Hungary.svg
Igor Emkic Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg
Cruiserweight -86 kg Mairis Briedis Flag of Latvia.svg Rafał Aleksandrowicz Flag of Poland.svg Gamal Hazimeh Flag of Israel.svg
Petar Iliev Flag of Bulgaria.svg
Heavyweight -91 kgAlexey Tokarev Flag of Russia.svg Denys Simkin Flag of Ukraine.svg Veniamin Davidis Flag of Greece.svg
Ladislav Kacmarak Flag of Slovakia.svg
Super Heavyweight +91 kgHamza Kendircioğlu Flag of Turkey.svg Jukka Saarinen Flag of Finland.svg Jacek Puchacz Flag of Poland.svg
Tihamer Brunner Flag of Hungary.svg

Women's Full-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table

EventGoldSilverBronze
Bantamweight -48 kgVira Makresova Flag of Ukraine.svg Marja-Liisa Väänänen Flag of Finland.svg Plamena Dimova Flag of Bulgaria.svg
Therese Gunnarsson Flag of Sweden.svg
Featherweight -52 kgNadiya Khayenok Flag of Ukraine.svg Mette Solli Flag of Norway.svg Sabine Seifert Flag of Germany.svg
Liza Padazi Flag of Italy.svg
Lightweight -56 kgValeriya Ishakova Flag of Russia.svg Eva Maria Naranjo Flag of Spain.svg Tonje Sørlie Flag of Norway.svg
Zsuzsanna Szuknai Flag of Hungary.svg
Middleweight -60 kgThea Therese Næss Flag of Norway.svg Maria Konstadelov Flag of Greece.svg Monika Florek Flag of Poland.svg
Sanja Samardzic Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg
Light Heavyweight -65 kgKatarina Furmaniau Flag of Poland.svg Julia Irmen Flag of Germany.svg Anne Katas Flag of Finland.svg
Oleksandra Pliusnina Flag of Ukraine.svg
Heavyweight -70 kgCaroline Ek Flag of Sweden.svg Marija Pejakovic Flag of Serbia.svg Irena Gavrelova Flag of Russia.svg
Nives Radic Flag of Croatia.svg
Super Heavyweight +70 kgZeliha Dogrugunes Flag of Turkey.svg Karen Dews Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Adina Cocieru Flag of Romania.svg
Valeria Mercurio Flag of Italy.svg

Semi-Contact

Semi-Contact is the least physical of the contact kickboxing styles available at W.A.K.O. events. It involves the participants throwing controlled strikes at targets above the waist, with point's scored on the basis of speed and technique with power prohibited. Despite the less physical nature all contestants must wear head and various body protection - more detail on the Semi-Contact and the rules can be found on the official W.A.K.O. website. [5] At Vargas the men had nine weight divisions ranging from 57 kg/125.4 lbs to over 94 kg/+206.8 lbs while the women had six, ranging from 50 kg/110 lbs to over 70 kg/154 lbs and there was also a mixed team event.

Although not full of recognisable faces there were several winners from recent world and European championships with Zsolt Moradi and Zsofia Minda picking up their third gold medals in a row at W.A.K.O. championships, while Andrea Lucchese, Marco Culiersi, Anna Kondar and Gloria De Bei had also won at the last world championships. By the end of the championships, Hungary were easily the most dominant nation in the style, winning ten gold, two silver and two bronze, which also included winning the team event as well. [6]

Men's Semi-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table

EventGoldSilverBronze
-57 kgRichard Veres Flag of Hungary.svg Robbie Hughes Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jason Doyle Flag of Ireland.svg
Piotr Bakowski Flag of Poland.svg
-63 kgAndrea Lucchese Flag of Italy.svg Viktor Hirsch Flag of Hungary.svg Klemen Buzina Flag of Slovenia.svg
Vitaly Timofeev Flag of Russia.svg
-69 kgLaszlo Gombos Flag of Hungary.svg Domenico De Marco Flag of Italy.svg Michael Gebhart Flag of Austria.svg
Christian Welker Flag of Germany.svg
-74 kgTamas Imre Flag of Hungary.svg Gregorio Di Leo Flag of Italy.svg Morten Spissoy Flag of Norway.svg
Nikos Memmos Flag of Greece.svg
-79 kgZsolt Moradi Flag of Hungary.svg Stella Neri Flag of Italy.svg Rami-Alexandras Raslan Flag of Greece.svg
Billy Bryce Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
-84 kgKristian Jaroszkiewicz Flag of Hungary.svg Robert Knödelseder Flag of Germany.svg Andreas Anelopoulos Flag of Greece.svg
Zvonmir Gribl Flag of Croatia.svg
-89 kgMichel Decian Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Drew Neal Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Zoltan Dancso Flag of Hungary.svg
Dave Hetternan Flag of Ireland.svg
-94 kgGiuseppe De Marco Flag of Italy.svg Peter Csikos Flag of Hungary.svg Gunther Wenninger Flag of Austria.svg
Petr Kotik Flag of the Czech Republic.svg
+94 kgTibor Wappel Flag of Hungary.svg Lee Matthews Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Daniel Handel Flag of Germany.svg
Gunter Wohlwend Flag of Liechtenstein.svg

Women's Semi-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table

EventGoldSilverBronze
-50 kgSharon Gill Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Valentina Barbieri Flag of Italy.svg Sinead Beasley Flag of Ireland.svg
Ksenia Guralnik Flag of Russia.svg
-55 kgDorota Godzina Flag of Poland.svg Sharon McDermott Flag of Ireland.svg Linda Fogliano Flag of Italy.svg
Klaudia Diligens Flag of Hungary.svg
-60 kgGloria De Bei Flag of Italy.svg Ida Abrahamsen Flag of Norway.svg Emilia Szablowska Flag of Poland.svg
Fadeeva Svetlana Flag of Russia.svg
-65 kgBojan Dancsecs Flag of Hungary.svg Elaine Small Flag of Ireland.svg Irena Kobosilova Flag of the Czech Republic.svg
Ina Grindheim Flag of Norway.svg
-70 kgZsofia Minda Flag of Hungary.svg Ana Znaor Flag of Croatia.svg Natalie Cassidy Flag of Ireland.svg
Adriane Doppler Flag of Germany.svg
+70 kgAnna Kondar Flag of Hungary.svg Ciara McShane Flag of Ireland.svg Jennifer Otoo Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
Maria Mauriello Flag of Italy.svg

Team's Semi-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table

EventGoldSilverBronze
TeamHungary Flag of Hungary.svg Italy Flag of Italy.svg Germany Flag of Germany.svg
Great Britain Flag of the United Kingdom.svg

Musical Forms

Musical Forms is a type of non-physical competition which sees the contestants fighting against imaginary foes using Martial Arts techniques - more information on the style can be found on the W.A.K.O. website. [7] Unlike Full and Semi-Contact kickboxing there were no weight divisions, only male and female competitions and competitors were allowed to compete in more than one category with some countries having than one athlete in each category. The men and women at Varga competed in four different styles explained below:

There were a few familiar winners in Musical Forms at Varga, with regular gold medallists Andrey Bosak and Maria Pekarchyk winning two events each and Veronika Dombrovskaya winning one. By the end of the championships Russia were the top nation in Musical Forms winning four gold, six silver and one bronze. [8]

Men's Musical Forms Medals Table

EventGoldSilverBronze
Hard StylesAndrey Savushkin Flag of Russia.svg Phil Campbell Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Alberto Leonardi Flag of Italy.svg
Soft StylesAndrey Bosak Flag of Russia.svg Nikita Pavlov Flag of Russia.svg Sedat Sagiroglu Flag of Turkey.svg
Hard Styles - WeaponsMassimiliano Castellacci Flag of Italy.svg Andrey Savushkin Flag of Russia.svg Kevin Cetout Flag of France.svg
Soft Styles - WeaponsAndrey Bosak Flag of Russia.svg Nikita Pavlov Flag of Russia.svg Filippo Fontana Flag of Italy.svg

Women's Musical Forms Medals Table

EventGoldSilverBronze
Hard StylesMaria Pekarchyk Flag of Belarus.svg Elena Chirkova Flag of Russia.svg Anastasiya Ovod Flag of Ukraine.svg
Soft StylesVeronika Dombrovskaya Flag of Belarus.svg Inna Bekestovaya Flag of Russia.svg Danausova Darya Flag of Ukraine.svg
Hard Styles - WeaponsMaria Pekarchyk Flag of Belarus.svg Anna Likhonina Flag of Russia.svg Anastasiya Ovod Flag of Ukraine.svg
Elena Chirkova Flag of Russia.svg
Soft Styles - WeaponsEkaterina Chizhikova Flag of Russia.svg Veronika Dombrovskaya Flag of Belarus.svg Danausova Darya Flag of Ukraine.svg

Aero-Kickboxing

Aero-Kickboxing is a non-physical competition, involving participants using a mixture of aerobic and kickboxing techniques in time to specifically selected music. There are no weight divisions as with other forms of kickboxing in W.A.K.O. but there are separate male, female and team categories, with or without an aerobic step. As with Musical Forms, competitors were allowed to compete in more than one category and some countries had more than one athlete in each category. More information on Aero-Kickboxing and the rules can be found on the W.A.K.O. website. [9] Although a lower prestige sport compared to other events, Mikhail Gerasimov stood out amongst the winners by taking gold in both men's events. The top nation in Aero-Kickboxing was Hungary who claimed four golds, one silver and one bronze, which included winning both of the team events. [10]

Men's Aero-Kickboxing Medals Table

EventGoldSilverBronze
Aero Individual without StepMikhail Gerasimov Flag of Russia.svg Mihaly Perneki Flag of Hungary.svg İnanç Kahveci Flag of Turkey.svg
Aero Individual with StepMikhail Gerasimov Flag of Russia.svg Husrev Uzunali Flag of Turkey.svg Mihaly Perneki Flag of Hungary.svg

Women's Aero-Kickboxing Medals Table

EventGoldSilverBronze
Aero Individual without StepBrigitta Gazdag Flag of Hungary.svg Darya Danausova Flag of Ukraine.svg Tina Gerbec Flag of Austria.svg
Aero Individual with StepMarianna Hegyi Flag of Hungary.svg Olena Sereda Flag of Ukraine.svg Darya Danausova Flag of Ukraine.svg

Team Aero-Kickboxing Medals Table

EventGoldSilverBronze
Aero Team without StepHungary Flag of Hungary.svg Croatia Flag of Croatia.svg Austria Flag of Austria.svg
Aero Team with StepHungary Flag of Hungary.svg Croatia Flag of Croatia.svg No bronze awarded

Overall Medals Standing (Top 5)

RankingCountryGold Med 1.png Silver Med 2.png Bronze Med 3.png
1 Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary 1537
2 Flag of Russia.svg Russia 1186
3 Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine 448
4 Flag of Italy.svg Italy 466
5 Flag of Norway.svg Norway 333

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W.A.K.O. World Championships 2007 (Coimbra)</span>

W.A.K.O. World Championships 2007 in Coimbra were the joint 16th edition of the W.A.K.O. world championships and was the second event. The championships were for amateur male and female kickboxers and martial artists, covering the following categories; Full-Contact, Semi-Contact, Musical Forms and Aero Kickboxing. In the contact kickboxing categories, weight classes ranged from light bantamweight to super heavyweight. The Musical Forms and Aero Kickboxing categories did not have weight classes but had different forms. More information on the categories, weight classes and rules is provided in the various sections below. In total there were around 600 competitors at the event, representing fifty countries from five continents, competing in forty-three competitions. The Coimbra championships were held at the Pavilhão Multiusos de Coimbra in Coimbra, Portugal from Monday, November 26 to Sunday, December 2, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W.A.K.O. World Championships 1981</span>

W.A.K.O. World Championships 1981 were the third world kickboxing championships hosted by W.A.K.O. and were organized by Italian Ennio Falsoni. It was the second time that W.A.K.O. had held a championships in Italy and heralded the beginning of the organizations having its world championships every two years as opposed to once a year. The event was open to amateur men only from across the world, and featured two categories; Semi-Contact kickboxing and the newly introduced Musical Forms, and for the first time ever there was no Full-Contact kickboxing. By the end of the championships, West Germany were the top nation, with the USA in second and host nation Italy in third. The event was held in Milan, Italy in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W.A.K.O. World Championships 1985 (London)</span>

W.A.K.O. World Championships 1985 London were the joint fifth world kickboxing championships hosted by the W.A.K.O. organization arranged by British karate master Joe Johal – who had been made W.A.K.O. president earlier that year. The organization was facing some turmoil at the time with it splitting into two separate factions due to political differences which meant there were two separate world championships being held – with an event in Budapest that very same weekend. These political differences would, however, be resolved the following year and the organization would come back together. It was the second world championships to be held in the city of London and third overall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W.A.K.O. European Championships 1986</span>

W.A.K.O. European Championships 1986 were the eighth European kickboxing championships hosted by the W.A.K.O. organization arranged by Simon Zahopoulos. The championships were open to amateur men and women based in Europe with each country only allowed one competitor per weight division. The styles on offer were Full-Contact and Semi-Contact kickboxing. West Germany were easily the strongest nation overall by the end of the championships, with hosts Greece in second and Great Britain third in the medals table. The event was held in Athens, Greece on Saturday, November 29 to Sunday, November 30, 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W.A.K.O. World Championships 1987</span>

W.A.K.O. World Championships 1987 were the sixth world kickboxing championships hosted by W.A.K.O. and arranged by the German Karate pioneer Georg Brueckner and Carl Wiedmeier. The event was open to amateur men and women, with 290 competitors from 29 countries taking part. The styles on offer were Full-Contact, Semi-Contact and Musical Forms. Typically, each country was allowed one competitor per weight division, although in some incidences more than one was allowed. Participants were also allowed to compete in more than one style. By the end of the championships, USA was the top of the medals tables, with hosts West Germany in second and Canada way behind in third. The event was held at the Olympiahalle in Munich, Germany over two days and were attended by an estimated 11,000 spectators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W.A.K.O. World Championships 1990</span>

W.A.K.O. World Championships 1990 were the seventh world kickboxing championships hosted by the W.A.K.O. organization arranged by W.A.K.O. president Ennio Falsoni. It was the second W.A.K.O. championships in a row to be hosted in Mestre, and the fourth time overall in Italy, involving amateur men and women from twenty-eight countries from across the world. Originally, world championships were scheduled to take place in the USA in October 1989, but due to errors in event planning Italy saved the championships by organizing the tournament 3 months later. There were four categories on offer; Full-Contact, Semi-Contact, Light-Contact and Musical Forms, with each country typically allowed one competitor per weight division. Competitors were allowed to participate in more than one category, however, with double winners in Light and Semi-Contact. By the end of a competitive championships, USA were the top nation, with Poland a close second, and Canada in third. The event was held over three days at the Palasport Taliercio in Mestre Italy, starting on Friday 19 January and ending on Sunday 21 January, 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W.A.K.O. European Championships 1990</span>

W.A.K.O. European Championships 1990 were the tenth European kickboxing championships hosted by the W.A.K.O. organization and the first ever to be held in Spain. The event was open to amateur men and women from twenty-four countries across Europe, with four styles on offer; Full-Contact, Semi-Contact, Light-Contact and Musical Forms, with women participating in Light-Contact for the first time ever. Each country was allowed one competitor per weight division per category, although fighters could take part in more than one style. By the end of the championships, Great Britain was the top nation in terms of medals won, with West Germany second and Italy third. The event was held over three days in Madrid, Spain, from Friday 16 November to Sunday 18 November, 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W.A.K.O. World Championships 1991</span> Eight world kickboxing championships held in 1991

W.A.K.O. World Championships 1991 were the eight world kickboxing championships hosted by the W.A.K.O. organization. It was the third world championships to be held in London, involving amateur men and women from twenty-eight countries across the world. There were three styles on offer; Semi-Contact, Light-Contact and Musical Forms, and for the first time since Milan 1981, there would be no Full-Contact kickboxing competition at a W.A.K.O. world championships. Each country was allowed one competitor per weight division per category, although participants were allowed to participate in more than one category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W.A.K.O. World Championships 1993 (Atlantic City)</span>

W.A.K.O. World Championships 1993 in Atlantic City were the joint ninth world kickboxing championships hosted by the W.A.K.O. organization arranged by W.A.K.O. USA president Jim Lantrip. As with the 1985 championships the organization had suffered a temporary split due to political differences, and a second event was planned later in the month in Budapest, although the differences would be resolved in the near future.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W.A.K.O. European Championships 1996</span>

W.A.K.O. European Championships 1996 were the thirteenth European kickboxing championships hosted by the W.A.K.O. organization arranged by the Serbia and Montenegro kickboxing president Borislav Pelević. The event was the first ever to be held in Serbia and Montenegro and welcomed the country back into the international community after the devastation of the Bosnian War. It was open to amateur men and women representing thirty-seven countries in Europe - more detail on the participating nations is provided in the relevant section below.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W.A.K.O. European Championships 2000 (Jesolo)</span>

W.A.K.O. European Championships 2000 in Jesolo were the joint fifteen European kickboxing championships hosted by the W.A.K.O. organization and the sixth championships to be held in Italy. The event was open to amateur men and women from across Europe and there were three styles on offer; Low-Kick, Light-Contact and Semi-Contact. By the end of the championships the most successful nation was the hosts Italy, followed by Hungary in second and Kyrgyzstan in third. The event was held over five days at the Palasport Cornaro in Jesolo, Italy starting on Wednesday, 18 October and ending on Sunday, 22 October 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W.A.K.O. World Championships 1999</span>

W.A.K.O. World Championships 1999 were the joint twelfth world kickboxing championships hosted by the W.A.K.O. organization. It was the fifth championships to be held in Italy and was open to amateur men and women from fifty countries across the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W.A.K.O. World Championships 2001 (Belgrade)</span>

W.A.K.O. World Championships 2001 were the joint thirteenth world kickboxing championships hosted by the W.A.K.O. organization. It was the second championships to be held in Serbia and Montenegro and was open to amateur men and women across the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W.A.K.O. World Championships 2001 (Maribor)</span>

W.A.K.O. World Championships 2001 were the joint thirteenth world kickboxing championships hosted by the W.A.K.O. organization. It was the first ever W.A.K.O. championships to be held in Slovenia and involved amateur men and women from across the world. There were three styles on offer at Maribor; Light-Contact, Semi-Contact and Musical Forms – the more physical styles would be available later on in the year at the Belgrade event. By the end of a competitive championships Italy were first in terms of medals won, Germany a close second and Hungary third. The event was held in Maribor, Slovenia over seven days starting on Wednesday, 17 October and ending Tuesday, 23 October.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W.A.K.O. European Championships 2002</span>

W.A.K.O. European Championships 2002 in Jesolo was the sixteenth European championships to be held by the W.A.K.O. It was the second championship to be held in Jesolo and the seventh to be held in Italy. W.A.K.O. had originally hoped to have a joint event that year like they had with the last world championships, with an event in Greece in October and another in Hungary in November, but due to the difficulties involved they scrapped the idea and resorted to Jesolo which had held a successful event two years previously.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W.A.K.O. World Championships 2003</span>

W.A.K.O. World Championships 2003 in Paris were the joint fourteenth world championships held by the W.A.K.O. and the first ever to be held in France. The other (joint) world championships were to be held in November of the same year in Yalta, Ukraine. The event was open to amateur men and women with approximately 780 athletes from 63 countries across the world taking part.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W.A.K.O. European Championships 2004 (Budva)</span>

W.A.K.O. European Championships 2004 in Budva were the joint seventeenth European championships and were the fourth W.A.K.O. championships to be held in Serbia and Montenegro/Yugoslavia. The event was open to around 300 amateur men and women from 26 nations from across Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W.A.K.O. World Championships 2005 (Szeged)</span>

W.A.K.O. World Championships 2005 in Szeged were the joint fifteenth world championships held by the W.A.K.O. organization and the third ever to be held in Hungary - with the other event having been held a couple of months earlier in Agadir, Morocco. The championships in Szeged were open to amateur men and women from across the world with around 720 athletes from 48 countries across five continents taking part.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W.A.K.O. European Championships 2006 (Lisbon)</span>

W.A.K.O. European Championships 2006 (Lisbon) were the joint eighteenth European kickboxing championships held by the W.A.K.O. organization and the second to be held in Portugal and the city of Lisbon. The event was open to amateur men and women from across Europe although a number of professional fighters such as Luis Reis would take part. All in all, it was the largest ever European championships with around 560 athletes from 31 countries taking part. One of the reasons for the higher numbers being that W.A.K.O. had merged had recently merged with the I.K.A.S. and took on many of the I.K.A.S. organization's fighters. Another reason was that some countries were allowed multiple competitors per weight division in the Full-Contact and Semi-Contact categories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W.A.K.O. European Championships 2006 (Skopje)</span>

W.A.K.O. European Championships 2006 in Skopje were the joint eighteenth European kickboxing championships held by the W.A.K.O. organization. It was the first event to be held in the country of Republic of Macedonia and was organized by the nation's kickboxing president Ljupčo Nedelkovski, involving (mainly) amateur men and women from 31 countries across Europe.

References

  1. "WAKO EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS VARNA 2008 (Event details)" (PDF). wakoweb.com. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  2. "A BEAUTIFUL EVENT - . : WAKO World Association of Kickboxing ... (Event review)". wakoweb.com. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  3. "WAKO Full contact Rules" (PDF). wakoweb.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  4. "ALL RESULTS.zip (Results EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP FC, SC, MF and AERO VARNA (Bulgaria) 22.10.2008 - 25.10.2008)". wakoweb.com. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  5. "Semi-Contact Rules" (PDF). wakoweb.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  6. "ALL RESULTS.zip (Results EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP FC, SC, MF and AERO VARNA (Bulgaria) 22.10.2008 - 25.10.2008)". wakoweb.com. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  7. "WAKO Musical Forms Rules" (PDF). wakoweb.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  8. "ALL RESULTS.zip (Results EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP FC, SC, MF and AERO VARNA (Bulgaria) 22.10.2008 - 25.10.2008)". wakoweb.com. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  9. "WAKO Aero Kickboxing Rules" (PDF). wakoweb.com. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  10. "ALL RESULTS.zip (Results EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP FC, SC, MF and AERO VARNA (Bulgaria) 22.10.2008 - 25.10.2008)". wakoweb.com. Retrieved 5 July 2011.