WAKO ASIA
Asian Kickboxing Confederation (WAKO ASIA)
Asian Kickboxing Confederation (in short “WAKO ASIA”) is Asian Continental Confederation in charge of all Kickboxing activities in ASIA.
After recognition of sport of Kickboxing by Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) during its the General Assembly held on 9 September 2005, Asian Kickboxing Confederation has been granted the recognition by OCA as body in charge of sport of Kickboxing in Asia.
Accordingly, the sport of Kickboxing under direct supervision of Asian Kickboxing Confederation was included in Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games as official sport.
HISTORY
Asian Kickboxing Confederation (WAKO ASIA)
We were in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) back in 1996 preparing the WAKO World championships. During the various meeting which I had with Mr. Aleksandr Voinov, the idea came that we should found our Asian Kickboxing Federation. The dayafter when we met with WAKO (IF) President Mr. Ennio Falsoni and we spoke with him about the important of having the Asian Kickboxing Federation composing of Asian Countries Kickboxing Federation/organization member of WAKO and the idea of including the WAKO Kickboxing one day in Asian Games under Olympic Counicl of Asia (OCA) promotion.
Mr. Ennio Falsoni who was leading WAKO for more than 20 years who is a man with a lot of experience in sport immediately understood the important of the issue and our request and we could had discuss that during the WAKO board meeting and get approval of that.
I and Mr. Aleksandr Voinov have immediately started the work and putting together the necessary like statutes and constitution and we have informed our members in Asia and finally the Asian Federation could be officially founded on December 1996 and registered by ministry in Kyrgyzstan under the name of “All Asian Kickboxing Federation”. We had several meeting and events in particular in Kyrgyzstan until 2003 but our activities decrease because of our concentration to other international activities in particular in preparation of WAKO application for Sportaccord (known at that time as GAISF).
Suddenly, we were find out that few opportunist people trying to put together the new organization and we saw that from left and right of Asia every three months a new organization is coming up with the different name. Some of them almost writing the name of our member in their list and had tried to pretend that they have them as member. This happened in 2004 when we were informed that one of these organizations applied with recognition with OCA. We had immediately informed OCA and I together with Mr. Ennio Falsoni took the issue in our hands and finally we received an officially letter from OCA that they were not taking in consideration these organization application.
We have continued our efforts to restructure our organization and working on spreading our sport around the World including in Asia and finally the sport of Kickboxing was recognized by OCA in September 2005. Shortly after in December 2005 during WAKO (IF) General Assembly, it was decided the creation of five continental division including WAKO Asian Continental Division and I was nominated as the President of WAKO Asian Continental Division (WAKO ASIA) and in charge of all WAKO’s activities in Asia with the first goal as obtaining the recognition from OCA for our Asian Federation. It also decided to apply the significant changes in our Asian Federation and constitution by an amendment of statutes, and modify the name from All Asian Kickboxing Federation (WAKO ASIA) to WAKO Asian Kickboxing Federation.
I have started immediately working on that issue working every day together with Mr. Ennio Falsoni and Mr. Aleksandr Voinov.
We had several meeting and preparation and finally on November 3, 2006 the General Assembly of All Asian Kickboxing Federation took place with Syria under Syrian NOC collaboration and coordination of Syrian Kickboxing Federation and its president Mr. Jalal Maa Al Bared. During the General Assembly, the new statutes and article of constitution were approved and the name of Federation was changed to WAKO Asian Kickboxing Federation (WAKO ASIA).
We have immediately filed our application of recognition with OCA and apply for inclusion of Kickboxing sport in Asian Indoor Games starting with Macau 2nd Asian Indoor Games in October 2007. After short trip to Kuwait in December 2006 with Mr. Ennio Falsoni, we could meet with the management team of OCA and present our file and application.
Both I and Mr. Ennio Falsoni were attending in Macedonia where WAKO was holding its European championships but in other hand we should also travel at the same time to Doha to present our application for inclusion in Asian Indoor Games. After a long meeting and discussion in our hotel, we share the responsibility and we decided that Mr. Ennio Falsoni should attend the WAKO European championships in Macedonia and I should travel to Doha immediately. I had spent several days in Doha where I spent a lot of time with Mr. Driss El Hilali one of the WAKO old partner in Morocco. It was during these few days that we could finally obtain from OCA the confirmation of inclusion of Kickboxing sport in Macau 2nd Asian Indoor Games subject to approval of OCA executive board.
Following the success of our presentation in Kuwait and Doha, during the 50th OCA Executive Board meeting, Olympic Council of Asian had granted to WAKO Asian on May 28, 2007 the recognition as body in charge of Kickboxing sport in Asia and include Kickboxing sport in 2nd Asian Indoor Games in Macau.
Of course, this was not a one-man job but a teamwork. I would like to thank you the efforts of Mr. Aleksandr Voinov sharing with me this honorable history and contribution of our WAKO president Mr. Ennio Falsoni as an International Federation’s leader who was behind us, listening, guiding and sharing with us his experiences and these moments.
I would like also to say to all our members in Asia, thank you, for your contribution to our goal of obtaining the recognition from OCA and inclusion of Kickboxing sport in Asian Indoor & and Asian Martial Arts Games promoted by Olympic Council of Asia.
On 03 September 2016, the General Assembly of WAKO ASIA among its various decision took the decision to modify its name from WAKO Asian Kickboxing Federation (WAKO ASIA) to Asian Kickboxing Confederation (WAKO ASIA) and accordingly has approved the new logo for Confederation.
Nasser Nassiri
President of Asian Kickboxing Confederation (WAKO ASAI)
Vice President of WAKO (IF)