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The WKA World Tournament—A
Commitment to Excellence
By Lindsey MacMhaolain
Having officiated my share of events as a full-time
WKA USA employee, notably shows in Delaware, Virginia,
Tennessee, Kentucky, and New York, I was bursting with
curiosity and excitement to see how the WKA, as the
largest international organization of its kind, operated
worldwide. When I got to Spain, I enjoyed the pleasure
of meeting many new people from all different countries,
with experience in all of the disciplines encompassed by
the WKA, including many I have had little to no
experience in, such as forms, weapons, and Knockdown
Karate. I met Klaus Nonnemacher, the current WKA world
president, and his predecessor, Paul Ingram, as well as
the country representatives of many nations.
As
WKA USA had been pushing for the inclusion for MMA as a
division in the WKA’s amateur World Championships, the
burden was on us to educate our fellow officials using
the experience we have gained during our previous six
years of sanctioning MMA in the US. On the first day at
the officials’ seminar, WKA USA representative Brian
Crenshaw gave an overview of Mixed Martial Arts and our
activities concerning MMA in the States. He then turned
the presentation over to me and I gave a briefing on the
WKA’s
amateur rules for MMA as well as guidelines for
refereeing and judging MMA bouts. Later, when the
matches began, I refereed some and supervised the
refereeing of the rest of the bouts so that the chief
Ringsports referee, Abdul Rahman El Rayess (Lebanon),
could gain experience in officiating MMA. Despite the
fact that this was the first year and there were a few
“learning” hitches, the division as a whole went off
smoothly, and competitors were prepared to fight and all
fought well.
What impressed me most about the
whole tournament was the lack of complacency. Though not
a morning person, I was each morning at the daily
officials meeting, the theme of which was always, “How
did yesterday go and what can we do to make today
better?” Officials and representatives expressed their
opinions and concerns in turn, and fruitful discussion
ensued as to how problems could be resolved both for the
duration of the 2009 tournament as well as how larger
aspects of the tournament could be improved for future
years. With WKA Administrator Zuzana Valuchova
(Slovakia) coordinating these meetings, she provided the
invaluable forum for these discussions. In addition, she
invited each official to a one-on-one sit-down with her
at the tournament’s end to discuss observations,
concerns, and potential improvements. The length of time
each official was given to discuss his or her opinions
on the tournament left me no other conclusion but that
the head officials of the WKA Amateur World
Championships are one hundred percent committed to
making theirs the best tournament out there—and if it
happens to be that already, there is no complacency on
anyone’s part. The pervasive attitude was, “however good
it is, we can make it better.”
I was also
impressed by the competitors themselves. Naturally, as
all competitors had to qualify in their home countries
in order
 to
attend this world-level competition, I expected to see
some excellent fighting. But it was the attitude of
sportsmanship, of professionalism, despite their amateur
status, that really impressed me. Competitors did not
merely touch gloves, hug after a match, and greet the
opposing coaches as a formality, a procedure, but with
heartfelt feeling. No matter how vicious and brutal a
fight, at the end, fighters sincerely thanked each other
and each other’s coaches for the opportunity and the
fight. With so many competitors in one hotel complex, it
was impossible for people who had fought each other to
avoid running into each other in the streets. There were
no glares, no stare-downs—only friendly smiles and an
obvious, sportsmanlike respect. When the fights were
over, former opponents could even be seen in the local
bar buying each other drinks and making friendly
conversation.
All in all, from both the
perspective of a competitor, a WKA employee and fan,
and an official, I was exhilarated to have been able to
witness this high level of excellence in a tournament
and look forward eagerly to next year’s WKA Worlds,
whether I qualify to fight or merely go to work and to
officiate. With all the judging of Full Contact,
Kickboxing, K-1, and Thai Boxing I did (long tedious
days) and the overseeing of the MMA, I missed the
opportunities my teammates had to sightsee and
souvenir-hunt—but I can honestly say that I do not
regret it a bit..
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