ISKA (sports governing body)

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Not to be confused with Iška, a river in Slovenia.

International Sport Karate and Kickboxing Association
Company typePrivate
IndustryKickboxing, MMA, and Sport Karate promotion
Founded1985 (1985)
Headquarters
United States
Key people
Cory Schafer (President)
Websitehttp://www.iskaworldhq.com/

The ISKA (originally International Sport Karate Association, later also called the International Sport Kickboxing Association[1][2]) is one of the major international bodies regulating sport karate and kickboxing matches. It is based in the United States. It was established in 1985 as a response to legal and revenue issues that sent the Professional Karate Association (PKA) into decline.[3]

History[edit]

From 1974 until 1985, the PKA had been the most recognized worldwide kickboxing sanctioning group. It was instrumental in establishing public relay of the sport via ESPN, helping to introduce the burgeoning sport to a wider audience,[4] and had also developed the first fighter's ratings systems. Five major U.S.-based promoters and resigning PKA executives created the new body, the International Sport Karate Association (ISKA), with an official announcement on July 16, 1986. The first U.S. directors were Mike Sawyer, Karyn Turner, Tony Thompson, John Worley and Scott Coker. It currently runs the biggest martial arts tournament in the world, The U.S Open. Thousands of competitors from around the world participate every year.[5][6]

Many of the major PKA promoters began sanctioning their events with the ISKA and several also joined its administration.[7] ISKA also secured ESPN broadcasts of its major title bouts in 1986, thus helping bring quick credibility and recognition to the new association.[8][9]

Since the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO) was mostly active in Europe and the World Kickboxing Association (WKA) in Asia, ISKA was quick to expand through its own European Directors starting October 1986 with Olivier Muller, Jérome Canabate and Mohamed Hosseini. American Richard Mayor oversaw the establishment of this European wing as European President between 1986 and 1988.[10]

By 1991, the worldwide control of the ISKA was shared by two co-chairmen: Mike Sawyer and Olivier Muller.[11] International TV coverage was secured, and united separate organizations were formed worldwide to handle responsibility for international sanctioning and grading.[12]

In 1997, Cory Schafer was appointed ISKA President.[13] By the early 2000s ISKA began sanctioning K-1 events such as K1-MAX and K-1 USA, and for several years they also sanctioned both kickboxing and MMA events for Strikeforce.[14] Starting from 2012, ISKA sanctioned events for the kickboxing promotion GLORY.[15]

Current activities[edit]

ISKA is a sport karate, all styles kickboxing, mixed martial arts (MMA) sanctioning body in the United States and over 50 countries worldwide.

ISKA's Martial Arts World Championships are held yearly at the US Open of Martial Arts in Disney World, Orlando, Florida. The US Open ISKA World Martial Arts Championships is held annually every year on the Fourth of July weekend.[16] More than 8,000 competitors and 12,000 spectators attend the two-day event each year. The event closes with the Night of Champions featuring the ISKA World Martial Arts Championships, which was featured on ESPN in both live and pre-recorded segments.[17][18][19] The US Open was the longest continuously running martial arts event on ESPN until 2023, when it moved to FITE.[20] The US Open highlights continue to air throughout the year on CSI Sports networks, reaching approximately 85 million households.[21]

Notable World Champions / European Champions/Amateur Champions[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Sherdog.com. "International Sport Kickboxing Association Fights, Fight Cards, Videos, Pictures, Events and more". Sherdog. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  2. ^ "About us – ISKA World Headquarters". Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  3. ^ Bill Wallace (October 1988). The Decline and Fall of the PKA Empire (Digitized by Google Books). Black Belt Magazine. p. 13. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
  4. ^ Corcoran, John and Farkas, Emil. Martial Arts: Traditions, History, People. Gallery Books, New York (1983) p. 317.
  5. ^ "What is ISKA?". iskaworldhq.com. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  6. ^ "Martial arts US Open ISKA World Championship to stream from Florida". usa.inquirer.net. June 22, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  7. ^ "The History of Kickboxing". championsbelts.com. January 15, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  8. ^ "Trying to Reignite Kickboxing in the USA". vice.com. February 22, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  9. ^ "The Martial Arts Network PRESENTS THE ISKA". martial-arts-network.com. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  10. ^ "From A to WKN". Worldkickboxingnetwork.com. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  11. ^ "The History of Kickboxing". championsbelts.com. January 15, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  12. ^ "A HISTORY OF KICKBOXING". Archived from the original on March 19, 2009. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  13. ^ "Cory Schafer - ISKA President - LinkedIn". linkedin.com. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  14. ^ "What Is ISKA Kickboxing? A Simple Guide to ISKA Kickboxing". mmachannel.com. March 26, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  15. ^ "GLORY aligns with ISKA as primary regulatory body for upcoming kickboxing events". mmamania.com. May 14, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  16. ^ "U.S. Open ISKA World Martial Arts Championships to Be Held in Orlando July 1, 2021". martialartsworldnews.com. June 16, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  17. ^ "Amazing Martial Arts at 2016 US Open". sportmartialarts.com. July 11, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  18. ^ "LIVE: 2019 U.S. Open ISKA World Martial Arts Championships". fightsportslive.tv. April 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  19. ^ "US Open ISKA World Championship - Final". espn.com. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  20. ^ "US Open Karate moves from ESPN To FITE". advanced-television.com. June 21, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  21. ^ "National Coverage Map". Usopen-karate.com. Archived from the original (JPG) on December 11, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2015.

External links[edit]

Web resources

Books and articles

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