For the first time, kickboxing in the Asian Indoor Games in
HERE TO STAY!
The WAKO tournament obtained the success that everyone expected and it has now been included among the official sports of the Asian Olympic Committee and its activities.
By Ennio Falsoni
Just a few months after my first trip to
The Olympic Committee of Asia (OCA) invited me to be present for the opening ceremonies of the second Asian Indoor Games and they put me up in a suite in the biggest hotel in the Orient, “ The Venetian ” .
When I arrived near the skyscraper hotel, I nearly went into shock when I caught a glimpse of St Mark’s bell tower, that’s right, the tower of the most famous basilica in the world after St. Peter’s. But that’s not all: the entire hotel is surrounded by the same buildings as St. Mark’s Square, from the Palazzo Ducale to the Palazzo delle Carceri. Obviously it’s all an enormous façade, a huge remake complete with canals and gondolas and gondoliers who row and sing to the delight of the millions of tourists who come from all over. At the centre of this reconstruction of
What is truly amazing is how much space and money are involved. I had the good fortune of playing golf, during a break in kickboxing activity, with a man from
The company that built the Venetian is American and is owned by a certain Mr. Anderson, who is one of the richest men in the
However, the message that the architect wanted to give to the world with such an undertaking is quite clear &rdash in place of St. Mark’s Basilica, around which a civil society was born and developed, as in all Italian medieval cities, he created the new temple of a modern society that couldn’t be the Church, but instead a huge casino that is the new holy sanctuary of modern times, with everything projected towards seeking success and wealth. The huge casino, among the largest in the world, is in the heart of the building on the ground floor. It can be reached from everywhere and is a sea of gaming tables.
The Venetian of Macao was the headquarters of the Asian Olympic Committee and the hotel itself was all I needed to realize how far we have come in Asia, which certainly will play a leading role in the near future of human history.
I was there because I had been invited as the president of the WAKO world federation to see up close the kickboxing competition (in only 3 fighting disciplines &rdash semi, full contact and low-kick) that the OCA had inserted as a demonstration sport. Needless to say, it was very important for the future of WAKO to be successful at
I will start by saying that all the participants did their part and at the end everything was perfect and running like a Swiss watch. The highest officials of the Asian Olympic Committee came to our tournament and left convinced that WAKO knows what it is doing and that we have an interesting and exciting sport that is enjoyed by the public. Therefore, we have already been confirmed as an “ official ” starting with the next Asian Games.
Nasser Nassiri (president of WAKO in
The domination of
For the record, here are the winners of the
Semi contact
57 kg.- Almathkori Mohammad (Kuwait)
63 Kg.- Alotaibi Jasem (
69 Kg.- Alhandal Meshal (
74 Kg.- Aljafari Nader (Giordania)
79 Kg.- Almajadi Hasan (
Full contact
57 Kg.- Tnalin Amir (Kazahkstan)
63 Kg.- Abuhasoah Aday (Giordania)
71 Kg.- Darkanbaev Alexey(Kazahkstan)
75 Kg.- Belgibayev Azamat (Kazahkstan)
86 Kg.- Yemelyanov Georgiy (Kazahkstan)
Low-kick
57 Kg.- Kudaibergenov B. (Kazahkstan)
63 Kg.- Ibrayev Maxut (Kazahkstan)
71 Kg.- Artykbayev Bobirzhan (Kazahkstan)
75 Kg.- Nurgaliyev Nurlan (Kazahkstan)
86 Kg.- Salim Hamza (Giordania)