W.A.K.O. European Championships 1988

W.A.K.O. European Championships 1988 were the ninth European kickboxing championships hosted by the W.A.K.O. organization arranged by W.A.K.O. president Ennio Falsoni.[1] The event was open to amateur men and women based in Europe only, with two categories on offer; Semi-Contact (both sexes) and Light-Contact (men only), with Light-Contact being introduced for the first time ever at a W.A.K.O. event. As decided by WAKO's world congress in Munich 1987, international championship are to be split up into two events and locations to accommodate fighters for newly added Light-Contact and later Low-Kick. Therefore, European championships for Full-Contact kickboxing and Forms took place at a separate event in Trogir, Yugoslavia. Each country was allowed one competitor per weight class per category. By the end of the event, hosts Italy were the top nation across all categories, with Great Britain second and regular European leaders West Germany in the third. It was held at the Palasport Taliercio in Mestre, Italy in 1988.[2]

W.A.K.O. European Championships 1988
The poster for W.A.K.O. European Championships 1988
Information
PromotionW.A.K.O.
Date1988
VenuePalasport Taliercio
CityItaly Mestre, Italy
Event chronology
W.A.K.O. World Championships 1987 W.A.K.O. European Championships 1988 W.A.K.O. World Championships 1990

Semi-Contact

Both men and women took part in Semi-Contact competitions in Mestre. Semi-Contact differed from Full-Contact in that fights were won by points given due to technique, skill and speed, with physical force limited - more information on Semi-Contact can be found on the W.A.K.O. website, although the rules will have changed since 1988.[3] At Mestre the men had seven weight classes, starting at 57 kg/125.4 lbs and ending at over 84 kg/+184.8 lbs, while the women's competition had four weight classes beginning at 50 kg/110 lbs and ending at over 60 kg/132 lbs. By the end of the championships, host nation Italy were the top country in Semi-Contact with six golds, one silver and one bronze medal.[4]

Men's Semi-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table
Event Gold Silver Bronze
-57 kg Maurizio Cuccu Italy Oliver Drexler West Germany Gerhard Schatz Austria
-63 kg Gaetano Sambataro Italy Zsoltan Polgar Hungary Isa Acar Turkey
-69 kg Francesco Arnone Italy Robert Ulbricht West Germany Jones Hortobaji Hungary
Bob Bodson Belgium
-74 kg Chris William United Kingdom Lajos Hugyetz Hungary Massimo Galozzi Italy
Roy Baker Republic of Ireland
-79 kg Wayne Benoni United Kingdom Rudolph Soos Hungary Stephan Plattner Austria
Yilmaz Yaka Turkey
-84 kg Michele Surian Italy Alfie Lewis United Kingdom Guner Lentz Turkey
Barnabas Katoona Hungary
+84 kg Andrew Boyce United Kingdom Thomas Brunnier Switzerland Michael Dunleavy Republic of Ireland
Edward Strand Austria

Women's Semi-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table
Event Gold Silver Bronze
-50 kg Marian Egrich Hungary Debbie Graham United Kingdom Antonella Aversano Italy
Karin Schiller West Germany
-55 kg Barbara Englert West Germany Sonia Bonazza Italy Patricia Sager Switzerland
Una Loughram Northern Ireland
-60 kg Roberta Vitali Italy Ute Howell West Germany Maria Bene Hungary
Noleen Murphy Northern Ireland
+60 kg Tiziana Zennaro Italy Gabriella Bady Hungary Margaret Dent Republic of Ireland
Noleen Murphy Northern Ireland

Light-Contact

Light-Contact made its W.A.K.O. championships debut in Mestre. It involved more physicality than Semi-Contact but less so than Full-Contact, with emphasis put on speed, skill and technique over power. It was also seen as a stepping stone for fighters who were looking to make the transaction from Semi to Full-Contact. More information on Light-Contact rules can be found of the W.A.K.O. website, although be aware that the rules may have changed since 1988.[5] At Mestre only men would take part in Light-Contact, with six weight classes, starting at 57 kg/125.4 lbs and ending at over 84 kg//+184.8 lbs. West Germany were the strongest nation in Light-Contact, winning three golds, two silvers and one bronze.[6]

Men's Light-Contact Kickboxing Medals Table
Event Gold Silver Bronze
-57 kg Jakob Jurgen West Germany Gianni Morigi Italy Michael Crane Republic of Ireland
Attila Balough Hungary
-63 kg Silvano Cosentino Italy Axel Briesenik West Germany Alan Johnson Republic of Ireland
Marek Drazosynski Poland
-74 kg Ralf Kunzler West Germany Lajos Hugyetz Hungary Robert Steiner Switzerland
Martin Gibbons Republic of Ireland
-79 kg George McKenzie United Kingdom Alain Lonnedy Belgium Andreas Lindemann West Germany
Franz Haberl Austria
-84 kg Karl-Heinz Martin West Germany Barnabas Katona Hungary Alessandro Milan Italy
Jerje Nordal Norway
+84 kg Raymond McKenzie United Kingdom Gerald Hellman West Germany Steve Makawaya Belgium
Zoltan Szucs Hungary

Overall Medals Standing (Top 5)
Ranking Country Gold Gold Silver Silver Bronze Bronze
1 Italy Italy 7 2 3
2 United Kingdom Great Britain 5 2 0
3 West Germany West Germany 4 5 2
4 Hungary Hungary 1 6 5
5 Belgium Belgium 0 1 2
5 Switzerland Switzerland 0 1 2

See also

References
  1. "ABOUT THE FOUNDER OF WAKO-PRO". www.wakopro.org. Retrieved 2011-04-29.
  2. "9th WAKO European Championships" (PDF). www.wakoweb.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2011-04-29.
  3. "Semi-Contact Rules" (PDF). www.wakoweb.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2011-04-29.
  4. "9th WAKO European Championships (Men & Women Semi-Contact)" (PDF). www.wakoweb.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2011-04-29.
  5. "WAKO Light-Contact Rules" (PDF). www.wakoweb.com. Retrieved 2011-04-29.
  6. "9th WAKO European Championships (Men's Light-Contact)" (PDF). www.wakoweb.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2011-04-29.
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