Youth kickboxing championship draws 607 athletes

The UAE Youth Kickboxing Championship has opened in Abu Dhabi with 607 male and female athletes competing in one of the country’s largest domestic events for emerging combat-sport talent.

The championship began on Friday at Mubadala Dome at Al Jazira Club and will run until Sunday. Organised by the UAE Muay Thai and Kickboxing Federation, it brings together competitors from 51 clubs across the country.

Athletes are contesting 96 weight categories spanning four kickboxing disciplines. The breadth of the programme is designed to give young fighters competitive experience while allowing coaches and technical officials to assess athletes across different formats and age divisions.

The participation level points to the widening reach of kickboxing among young people, with clubs and academies expanding their development programmes and entering larger teams in national competitions. Domestic championships have become an important part of the federation’s strategy to identify promising fighters and create a structured route towards regional and international events.

Fahad Al Abdouli, Director of Sports Activities at the federation, said the turnout reflected the sport’s continued growth and the increasing interest shown by athletes, families and clubs. He said the federation was working to provide a competitive environment in which young participants could improve their technical abilities and gain experience under formal tournament conditions.

The championship will culminate on Sunday with final contests and medal ceremonies across the various divisions. Forty athletes of determination are also scheduled to participate on the closing day through cooperation between the federation and Special Olympics UAE.

Their involvement forms part of a broader effort to integrate athletes of determination into organised sporting programmes. The federation views inclusive competition as an important component of its development model, providing athletes with opportunities to train, compete and engage with the wider sporting community.

Al Abdouli said the partnership with Special Olympics UAE demonstrated a commitment to diversity and equal participation. The initiative also reflects a wider movement within UAE sport to build sustained competition pathways for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities rather than limiting participation to exhibition events.

Special Olympics UAE has expanded its cooperation with sporting federations, educational institutions and clubs in an effort to provide year-round training and competitive opportunities. More than 1,000 athletes, students, unified partners, coaches and technical personnel were involved in the UAE Games programme held earlier this year, highlighting the growing scale of organised inclusive sport.

Kickboxing’s development has accelerated through a calendar combining domestic youth tournaments, international championships and specialised training programmes. Large entry lists allow organisers to provide athletes with more evenly matched contests, while coaches can evaluate movement, defensive awareness, discipline and tactical decision-making under pressure.

The youth championship also gives referees and technical officials practical experience across a substantial number of bouts. Consistent officiating is particularly important in junior combat sports, where safety rules, equipment checks and age-appropriate competition standards must be applied closely.

For clubs, the tournament provides a measure of the effectiveness of their training systems. Results across numerous weight categories can help coaching teams identify strengths and weaknesses, adjust development plans and determine which athletes may be ready for higher-level competition.

The federation has sought to strengthen the country’s position in international kickboxing. The UAE national team collected 25 medals at the 2025 World Association of Kickboxing Organisations Senior and Masters World Championship, including nine gold, seven silver and nine bronze medals.

That tournament, staged at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, attracted about 2,000 athletes from 150 countries and marked the first time the senior and masters world championship had been held outside Europe. Hosting the competition gave local athletes exposure to elite international standards and reinforced Abu Dhabi’s status as a venue for major combat-sport events.