W.A.K.O. World Championships 2003 (Paris)
Encyclopedia
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 around 780 athletes from 63 countries across the world taking part.
There were four styles on offer at Paris; Full-Contact, Light-Contact, Semi-Contact and Aero-Kickboxing. The other W.A.K.O. styles (Low-Kick, Thai-Boxing
and Musical Forms) would be held at the second event later in the year at Yalta
. By the end of the championships, Russia
was the strongest nation in terms of medals won, with Hungary
in second and Italy
in third. The event was held between five days at the Palais des Sports Marcel-Cerdan in Paris, France, starting on Tuesday, October 21 and finishing on Sunday, October 26, 2003.
or by a point’s decision. As with most other forms of amateur kickboxing all contestants must wear head and body protection. More information on the rules can be found at the official W.A.K.O. website. At Paris the men had twelve weight divisions 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
. Notable winners included a young Muamer Hukić
(more commonly known as the cruiserweight boxing champion Marco Huck) who added to the gold he won at the last European championships, and Ruslan Karaev
who would have a number of fights (and win several titles) with the K-1
organization. Other notable winners included Fouad Habbani who won his third straight gold medal in Full-Contact at a W.A.K.O. championships, while Olesya Gladkova, Oksana Vasilieva and Oksana Vasilieva had all won gold medals at the last Europeans. By the end of the championships, Russia
was by far the strongest nation in the style, winning nine golds, four silvers and two bronze.
to over 94 kg/+206.8 lbs
while the women had six ranging from 50 kg/110 lbs
to over 70 kg/154 lbs
. Though not full of household names there were several previous winners with Dezső Debreczeni, Zoltan Dancso, Szilvia Csicsely and Nadja Sibila having picked up golds at previous events. By the end of the championships Hungary
were the strongest nation in the style, winning four gold, two silver and two bronze medals.
did particularly well, winning three gold and two silver medal.
World Association of Kickboxing Organizations
The World Association of Kickboxing Organisations is one the international organization of kickboxing, and the governing body of Amateur kickboxing sport certified by SportAccord...
and the first ever to be held in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The other (joint) world championships were to be held in November of the same year in Yalta, Ukraine
Yalta
Yalta is a city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea.The city is located on the site of an ancient Greek colony, said to have been founded by Greek sailors who were looking for a safe shore on which to land. It is situated on a deep bay facing south towards the Black...
. The event was open to amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
men and women with around 780 athletes from 63 countries across the world taking part.
There were four styles on offer at Paris; Full-Contact, Light-Contact, Semi-Contact and Aero-Kickboxing. The other W.A.K.O. styles (Low-Kick, Thai-Boxing
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
and Musical Forms) would be held at the second event later in the year at Yalta
Yalta
Yalta is a city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea.The city is located on the site of an ancient Greek colony, said to have been founded by Greek sailors who were looking for a safe shore on which to land. It is situated on a deep bay facing south towards the Black...
. By the end of the championships, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
was the strongest nation in terms of medals won, with Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
in second and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in third. The event was held between five days at the Palais des Sports Marcel-Cerdan in Paris, France, starting on Tuesday, October 21 and finishing on Sunday, October 26, 2003.
Full-Contact
Full-Contact is a form of kickboxing where strikes above the waist are allowed to be thrown at full force, with wins usually occurring either via knockoutKnockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
or by a point’s decision. As with most other forms of amateur kickboxing all contestants must wear head and body protection. More information on the rules can be found at the official W.A.K.O. website. At Paris the men had twelve weight divisions ranging from 51 kg/112.2 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
to over 91 kg/+200.2 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
, while the women had seven ranging from 48 kg/105.6 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
to over 70 kg/+143 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
. Notable winners included a young Muamer Hukić
Marco Huck
Marco Huck is a German professional boxer of Bosniak origin. He is the current WBO Cruiserweight Champion.Marco started Taekwando and kickboxing at the age of ten...
(more commonly known as the cruiserweight boxing champion Marco Huck) who added to the gold he won at the last European championships, and Ruslan Karaev
Ruslan Karaev
Ruslan Savelyevich Karaev is a Russian kickboxer of Ossetian origin. He is K-1 World GP 2005 in Las Vegas and K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Taipei tournament champion...
who would have a number of fights (and win several titles) with the K-1
K-1
K-1 is a defunct world-wide kickboxing promotion based in Tokyo, Japan founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a formerKyokushin karate practitioner. K-1 combines stand up techniques from Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Savate, San Shou, kickboxing, western-style boxing, and other martial arts...
organization. Other notable winners included Fouad Habbani who won his third straight gold medal in Full-Contact at a W.A.K.O. championships, while Olesya Gladkova, Oksana Vasilieva and Oksana Vasilieva had all won gold medals at the last Europeans. By the end of the championships, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
was by far the strongest nation in the style, winning nine golds, four silvers and two bronze.
Men's Full-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table
| -51 kg | Ayup Arsaev  |
Miras Brimzkanov  |
Abdel Fettah Boukhalfa  Utkir Hudayarov  |
| -54 kg | Mirbek Suiumbaev |
Filip Ehsan  |
Alexandre Bossuyt  Nurbolat Rysmagambetov |
| -57 kg | Fouad Habbani |
Ali Albisheh  |
Marat Egeian Mustapha Ben-Sihmed |
| -60 kg | Artur Tazleian |
Yuri Romanko  |
Daniel Martins  Tarik Ben-Sihmed |
| -63.5 kg | Alexandru Pogorelov  |
Arild Mikarlsen  |
Zsolt Nagy  Orazmuhammed Byashimov  |
| -67 kg | Jere Reinikainen  |
Roman Pechuk |
Eldin Raonic  Sidi Koite |
| -71 kg | Igor Kulbaev |
Ruslan Batrutdinov |
Sindre Walstad Azamat Naurzbaev |
| -75 kg | Nermin Basovic |
Tomasz Walenski  |
Markus Hakulinen Azzedine Mhiyaovi |
| -81 kg | Maxim Voronov |
Alan Kotsoev |
Christophe Lartisien Marcin Rogozik |
| -86 kg | Muamer Hukić Marco Huck Marco Huck is a German professional boxer of Bosniak origin. He is the current WBO Cruiserweight Champion.Marco started Taekwando and kickboxing at the age of ten...  |
Anatoliy Nosarev |
Slobodan Marinkovic  Taranali Karifala  |
| -91 kg | Ruslan Karaev Ruslan Karaev Ruslan Savelyevich Karaev is a Russian kickboxer of Ossetian origin. He is K-1 World GP 2005 in Las Vegas and K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Taipei tournament champion... |
Gabor Meiszter |
Cornel Rus  Łukasz Jarosz |
| +91 kg | Yaroslav Zavorotny |
Seyed Ali Mirmiran  |
Ruslan Avsov Vecheslav Sepchuk |
Women's Full-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table
| -48 kg | Olesya Gladkova |
Veronique Legras |
Vania Gusiiska Aliya Boranbaeva |
| -52 kg | Oksana Vasilieva |
Fatma Akyüz |
Ivona Roca  Mette Solli |
| -56 kg | Lidia Andreeva |
Barbara Plazzoli  |
Valentina Chevchenko Zsuzsanna Szuknai |
| -60 kg | Anna Kasprzak |
Julia Nemtsova |
Helene Horlaville Nadine Lemke |
| -65 kg | Maria Karlova |
Alena Fashutdinova |
Marija Ristovic Csilla Bodo |
| -70 kg | Karolina Lukasik |
Heidi Hartmann |
Marjut Lappalainen Nives Radic |
| +70 kg | Ilhame Aissaoui |
Irina Smirnova |
Daniela Lazzareska  Karen Dews |
Light-Contact
Light-Contact is a form of kickboxing that is less physical than Full-Contact but more so than Semi-Contact and is often seen as a transition between the two. Contestants score points on the basis of speed and technique over brute force although stoppages can occur, although as with other amateur forms head and body protection must be worn - more detail on Light-Contact rules can be found on the official W.A.K.O. website. The men had nine weight divisions ranging from 57 kg/125.4 lbsPound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
to over 94 kg/+206.8 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
while the women had six ranging from 50 kg/110 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
to over 70 kg/154 lbs
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
. Though not full of household names there were several previous winners with Dezső Debreczeni, Zoltan Dancso, Szilvia Csicsely and Nadja Sibila having picked up golds at previous events. By the end of the championships Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
were the strongest nation in the style, winning four gold, two silver and two bronze medals.
Men's Light-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table
| -57 kg | Dezső Debreczeni |
Maxime Aysin |
Nikolay Kuznitsov Lucien Gross |
| -63 kg | Jorge Coelho |
Sándor Szántó |
Mickael Guccione Danylo Stepanenko |
| -69 kg | Marcel Fekonja  |
Christian Bauer |
Christophe Rebrasse Vitaliy Yeremenko |
| -74 kg | Lionel Picord |
Mikhail Sorin |
Sebastijan Causevic Oliver Stricz |
| -79 kg | Zoltan Dancso |
Marat Pukhaev |
Hugo Matos  Andrea Primitivi |
| -84 kg | Petr Kotik  |
Andrej Sande |
Mike Béla Owen King |
| -89 kg | Uros Urleb |
Juso Prosic  |
Wojciech Myslinski Roman Roev |
| -94 kg | Emmanuel Mendy |
Michal Wszelak |
Dmitri Gerasimov Agostino Pavesi |
| +94 kg | Uri Abramov |
Wojciech Szczerbiński |
Drazen Glavas Dzevad Smajlovic |
Women's Light-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table
| -50 kg | Szilvia Csicsely |
Anna Krivognza |
Julita Tkaczyk Viktoriya Bezpecna |
| -55 kg | Tonje Sørlie |
Alessia Gaietto |
Christina McMahon Joanne Kolowrat  |
| -60 kg | Klara Marton |
Gloria De Bei |
Kerstin Kössling Monika Florek |
| -65 kg | Sanja Stunja |
Chiara Mandelli |
Sabina Sehic Szilvia Linczmaier |
| -70 kg | Nusa Rajher |
Ivett Pruzsinszky |
Larysa Berezenko Evelis Boscolo |
| +70 kg | Nadja Sibila |
Oxana Kinakh |
Giulia Campagno Ivana Didovic |
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 like in other forms of kickboxing in W.A.K.O. but there are separate male, female and team categories, with additional events being introduced in Paris, with a male and female 'with (aerobic) step' and 'without (aerobic) step' being added. Also, unlike the contact categories, an individual country was allowed more than one competitor, with the team event even having several teams from the same country. More information on Aero-Kickboxing and the rules can be found on the W.A.K.O. website. Although the Aero-Kickboxing competitions in Paris were not well documented with many of the winners being absent from records, ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
did particularly well, winning three gold and two silver medal.
Aero Kickboxing (Men) Medals Table
| Aero Individual with Step | No medallist recorded | No medallist recorded | No medallist recorded |
| Aero Individual without Step | Bruno Manca |
Daniel Gärtner |
No medallist recorded |
Aero Kickboxing (Women) Medals Table
| Aero Individual with Step | Laura Fiori |
Beata Krassoi |
No medallist recorded |
| Aero Individual without Step | No medallist recorded | No medallist recorded | No medallist recorded |
Aero-Kickboxing (Team) Medals Table
| Aero Team | Team Italy I |
Team Italy II |
Team Croatia |
Overall Medals Standing (Top 5)
| Ranking | Country | Gold  |
Silver  |
Bronze  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russia Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... |
10 | 8 | 5 |
| 2 | Hungary Hungary Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The... |
4 | 3 | 5 |
| 3 | Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
3 | 6 | 4 |
| 4 | Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
3 | 3 | 3 |
| 5 | France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
3 | 1 | 4 |
See also
- List of WAKO Amateur World Championships
- List of WAKO Amateur European Championships
- List of male kickboxers
- List of female kickboxers
- List of kickboxing organizations