W.A.K.O. World Championships 1990

W.A.K.O. World Championships 1990 were the seventh world kickboxing championships hosted by the W.A.K.O. organization arranged by W.A.K.O. president Ennio Falsoni. It was the second W.A.K.O. championships in a row to be hosted in Mestre (the Euros were also hosted there), and the fourth time overall in Italy, involving amateur men and women from twenty-eight countries from across the world. Originally, world championships were scheduled to take place in the USA in October 1989, but due to errors in event planning Italy saved the championships by organizing the tournament 3 months later. There were four categories on offer; Full-Contact (men only), Semi-Contact, Light-Contact (men only) and Musical Forms, with each country typically allowed one competitor per weight division (asides from women's Musical Forms). Competitors were allowed to participate in more than one category, however, with double winners in Light and Semi-Contact. By the end of a competitive championships, USA were the top nation, with Poland a close second, and Canada in third. The event was held over three days at the Palasport Taliercio in Mestre Italy, starting on Friday 19 January and ending on Sunday 21 January, 1990.

Full-Contact
Returning after being absent at the last European championships, Full-Contact at Mestre was available to men only and consisted of ten weight divisions ranging from 54 kg/118.8 lbs to over 91 kg/+200.2 lbs. All bouts were fought under Full-Contact kickboxing rules - more detail on the rules can be found at the W.A.K.O. website, although be aware that they may have changed slightly since 1990. The most notable winner was future pro boxer Przemysław Saleta who won gold in the -91 kg division. By the end of the championships Poland was the strongest country in Full-Contact with three golds and one bronze.

Semi-Contact
Both men and women took part in Semi-Contact competitions at 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 1990. 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. The most notable winner was Piotr Siegoczynski who also won a gold at the same event in the Light-Contact category. By the end of the championships, USA was the top nation in Semi-Contact winning four golds, one silver and three bronzes.

Light-Contact
Light-Contact made its first appearance at a W.A.K.O. world championships, having made its debut at the Europeans two years previously. More physical than Semi-Contact but less so than Full-Contact, points were awarded and fights won on the basis of speed and technique over power, and it was seen as a transition stage for fighters who were considering a move 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 1990. Only men were allowed to take part in the category, with seven weight classes available, starting at 57 kg/125.4 lbs and ending at over 84 kg/+184.8 lbs. The most notable winner was Piotr Siegoczynski who also won a gold at the same event in the Semi-Contact category. Hungary was the top nation in Light-Contact with three golds, one silver and two bronze medals.

Musical Forms
After being absent from the European championships in Mestre, Musical forms returned to a W.A.K.O. championships. The event was open to men and women; although the women's category was for demonstration purposes and although the female medal winners would be recorded by W.A.K.O. as champions, their medals would not count towards their country's final medal tally at the end of the event. The men had three categories; hard style, soft styles and weapons, while the women just had the one. Musical Forms is a non-physical competition which sees the contestants fighting against imaginary foes using Martial Arts techniques - more information can be accessed on the W.A.K.O. website, although be aware that the rules may have changed since 1990. By the end of the championships, the USA were the top nation in Musical Forms, winning two gold medals and one silver medal.

Overall Medals Standing (Top 5)
Note that women's Musical Forms winners are not counted in the final medals standings. See Musical Forms section above for more information.