Irish Open International is set to take centre stage
THE 2020 Irish Open International will take centre stage in the Citywest Convention Centre this week.
Starting today (Thursday) and running through until Sunday, this huge tournament is hosted and organised by Bushido Martial Arts, one of Ireland's largest and most prestigious martial arts asso-ciation run by chief instructor Roy Baker, President of Kickboxing Ireland and the newly elected WAKO IF President.
Bushido Martial Art Clondalkin’s Ilja Salerno, Karyna Nikitina, Robert and Alex Barrett and (right) Tallaght Martial Art’s Kerri and Jodie Browne.
The event donates all its proceeds to the ISPCC, and this year more than 3500 registrations from 35 countries have been confirmed.
Indeed more than 1600 athletes and some 2000 coaches, parents and entourage converge on the Citywest Hotel for the competition which caters for peewees, cadets, juniors, seniors and veterans in point fighting, light continuous, full contact, K1 fighting as well as traditional and creative forms.
The tournament will begin on Friday with light continuous, team events and ring sports (full contact and k1) before Saturday sees all black belt point fighting divisions take the spotlight followed with the night gala show in the evening.
The final day will see the staging of all the remaining point fighting divisions including the peewees, cadets and senior novice grades as well as the coveted grand champion divisions, where the winners will take home some of the biggest cash prizes in tatami sport fighting.
BMA will, as always, have all its club members volunteering throughout the four days of action along with the governing body for kickboxing in Ireland, KBI, who sanction the event.
Many local clubs, including Tallaght Martial Arts, Black Panthers, Ljays, Grasp Martial Arts and BMA Clondalkin will be fielding members.
The latter, just after coming off a number of national tournaments with successful results will be looking to shine at this prestigious event with a large fighting team present.
The long-awaited return of Karyna Nikitina, after a year’s break from competition, will be one to look out for as she prepares to compete in the second round of the Senior National Championships in a fortnight.
She will be using the Irish Open as her prep work to shake off any ring rust having spent the past 12 months out of action in order to set up her new club, BMA Naas along with head coach Ilija Salerno.
The new club, now just over 12 months old, is thriving and the former multi World and European champion can now return to the fighting circuit.
Other possible podium finishers for the club could be the Orlovas brothers, Aranas and Eidenas.
Aranas, still on a high after his silver medal in the WAKO European Championships last year, is aiming for another top finish this year in the junior national qualifiers at the end of March.
Zach Lamari is one of the favourites, especially after his impressive haul of medals last season finishing with a bronze in the WAKO European Championship in August.
Also ones to watch are Ross Gaynor and the Wade family trio of Amy, Ryan and Abbie.
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