Algiers first ever WAKO full contact tournament within the 9th African Games, which involved 10 official African countries and 57 competitors, finished yesterday. It was a real success, especially considering the fact that represented also the first ever sort of African Championship.
Algeria, Tunisia, Cameroon, Senegal, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria,South Africa, Isle Maurice and Zimbabwe were the participating countries.
Other WAKO African members such as Egypt, Namibia,Sierra Leone could not attend either for financial reasons or because, as in the case of Egypt, their National Olympic Committee did not support their participation.
Mr. Mafoud Louali, president of both the Algerian Kickboxing Federation and the WAKO African Kickboxing Confederation, did a superb job together with the WAKO staff composed of our “computer man” , Jens Walsberdorf from Germany and European judges as Roberto Fragale and Flavio Brivio from Italy, Predrag Znaor and Darko kalabic from Croatia.
Under the supervision of WAKO president Ennio Falsoni , the tournament went very well . In the end Mr. Louali expressed his gratitude to everybody:”That’s what we needed: a good start. I am confident the future will be bright for WAKO kickboxing in Africa-he said-. We have divided the African continent in 7 zones and now I expect positive results from the different presidents in charge of developing their zone.”
First real African Championship is now scheduled in February/March 2008 in Lagos (Nigeria).
In 10th African Games which will be held in Zambia in 2011, WAKO Africa will surely have a much bigger and stronger tournament.
