2026 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods  and the 2026 Monitoring Program are in force from 1 January 2026 The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced that the 2026 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods  and the 2026 Monitoring Program are in force from 1 January 2026. It designates which substances and methods are prohibited both in- and out-of-competition and which substances are banned in particular sports. The 2026 Monitoring Program includes substances that are not on the List, but that WADA wishes to monitor in order to detect potential patterns of misuse in sport.  The major modifications for 2026 include the following: -        Further examples or clarifications have been added to the following substance classes to help athletes and their entourage better identify prohibited substances:          S1. Anabolic agents,         S2. Peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances, and mimetics,           S4. Hormone and metabolic modulators, and         S6. Stimulants.    -        The dosing intervals of salmeterol have been changed to avoid potential ergogenic effects, though the maximum daily delivered dose remains the same. -        More details have been given about the prohibition of withdrawal of blood and blood components. -        The non-diagnostic use of carbon monoxide (CO) has been added to the Prohibited Methods as a new section, M1.4. The use of carbon monoxide for diagnostic purposes, such as total hemoglobin mass measurements or the determination of pulmonary diffusion capacity, is not prohibited. -        Cell components (e.g., nuclei and organelles such as mitochondria and ribosomes) have been added to the existing prohibition of using normal or genetically modified cells. -        It has been clarified in the Glucocorticoids Washout Table that use of sustained-release formulations may result in detectable glucocorticoid levels past the washout period due to prolonged systemic absorption.    For more info, visit link: https://www.wada-ama.org/en/resources/world-anti-doping-code-and-international-standards/prohibited-list#resource-download

WAKO is fostering participation of persons with disabilities in para-kickboxing and promoting their inclusion in sport activities as a very important segment of their life, ensuring their inclusion in all aspects of society. An estimated 1.3 billion people experience significant disability. This represents 16% of the world’s population, or 1 in 6 of us. WAKO launched the first para-kickboxing demonstration back in 2016, when  five para-kickboxers aged 15–18 young para-kickboxers from Maribor presented their skills during the European Kickboxing Championships.  That same year, Tomaž Barada, kickboxing champion and member of the WAKO Board of Directors, organized an auction of his most significant kickboxing trophies to raise funds for continuing work with inclusive groups in his sports center. In the years that followed, the development continued with the creation of rules and the formal definition of the para-kickboxing discipline, which required a multidisciplinary approach and strong involvement from WAKO’s expert committees. Soon, a dedicated Para and Inclusive Committee was established, with Jesús Equía (ESP) elected as its Chair. In 2024, demonstrations of para-kickboxing were held during the European Championships in Athens, and later during the European Junior Championships in Italy. In the Pan American region—especially in Argentina, Venezuela, and Brazil—para-kickboxing has also been actively developed, with athletes performing within continental championships since 2023. This year, at the World Championships in Abu Dhabi, para-kickboxing competition in technique performance was held for the first time, where athletes were evaluated according to the rules and medals were awarded.

"On this World Kickboxing Day, November 30th, 2025, let us celebrate the strength and unity we've forged together. Thank you to every athlete, coach, president, official and supporter for your dedication and spirit. Together, we have built a vibrant community that transcends borders and inspires greatness in each other. Here’s to where we are and the incredible journey ahead!" WAKO President - Mr. Roy Baker #onewako #onechampion

Explore WAKO’s full calendar of events, including championships, seminars, online courses, and more. Stay updated on global kickboxing activities. WAKO Calendar 2026 - update January 2026 Upcoming WAKO Events January 2026 Today Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 Day (1/5) WAKO India Open International Kickboxing Cup 2026 +1 more 5 Day (2/5) WAKO India Open International Kickboxing Cup 2026 +1 more 6 Day (3/5) WAKO India Open International Kickboxing Cup 2026 +1 more 7 Day (4/5) WAKO India Open International Kickboxing Cup 2026 +1 more 8 Day (5/5) WAKO India Open International Kickboxing Cup 2026 +1 more WAKO Age and Weight Categories 2025 WAKO Calendar at 31.12.2025 - FINAL

Meet the WAKO Committees driving the development and governance of kickboxing worldwide. Explore their roles and contributions. WAKO Committees WAKO’s Committees play a vital role in shaping the organization’s policies, initiatives, and growth. Comprised of experts and representatives from across the kickboxing community, each committee focuses on specific areas such as rules, athlete development, integrity, and governance. These dedicated teams ensure that WAKO operates at the highest standards, promoting fairness, inclusivity, and excellence in the sport of kickboxing worldwide. Athletes Committee Chairman Mr. Zsolt Moradi (Hungary) Members Mr. Juan Leonardo Corrales (Argentina) Mr. Andres Garcia Gandara (Guatemala) Ms. Guillermina Barat (Argentina) Mr. Mahmoud Alkhatib (Jordan) Ms. Sumaya Aldabbagh (Saudi Arabia) Mr. Kian Golpira (Norway) Ms. Paulina Aleksandra Jarzmik (Poland) Ms. Meryl Swidler (USA) Mr. Alexandra Georgieva (Bulgaria) Mr. Billy Bryce (Great Britain) Mr. Cebrail Gencoglu (Turkiye) Arbitration Committee Chairman Mr. Robert Malcolm Fox (Switzerland/Jamaica) Members Mr. Joachim Knoll (Germany) Mrs. Melissa Magliana (USA/Italy/Switzerland) Mrs. Kendra Potts (UK) Mr. Andrea Gamba (Switzerland) Coaching Committee Chairman Mr. Daimi Akin (Norway) Members Mr. Michael Gerdenitsch (Austria) Mr. Samuel Gagnon (Canada) Mrs. Julia Irmen (Germany) Mrs. Sharon Gill (Great Britain) Mr. Nikos Memmos (Greece) Mr. Mehrdad Khoshsolook (Iran) Mr. Hawbeer Abdullah Salam Salihi (Iraq) Mr. Dave Heffernan (Ireland) Mr. Roberto Capogna (Italy) Mr. Radoslaw Laskowski (Poland) Mr. Dejan Pavic (Serbia) Mrs. Seda Duygu Aygun (Turkey) Development Committee Chairman Mr. Espen Lund (Norway) Vice Chairman Mr. Zsolt Moradi (Hungary) Members Mr. Nazri Sutari (Singapore) Mrs. Angelina Pelevic (Serbia) Mrs. Lucia Feckova (Slovakya) Mr. A’day Ali Abdulraheem Almaharmeh (Jordan) Mr. Elijah Everill (Great Britain) Mr. Timothy Bos (Italy) Mr. Andres Garcia (Guatemala) Mr. Parfait Doukrou (Ivory Coast) Mr. Kaan Ozgur Kayici (Turkey) Mr. Soren Koefoed (Denmark) Education & Student Committee Chairman Mr. Dino Belosevic (Croatia) Members Mr. Jake Riddell (Ireland) Mr. Cebrail Gencoglu (Turkey) Mrs. Valencia Yip (Singapore) Mr. Matej Babic (Croatia) Entourage Committee Chairman Mr. Espen Lund (Norway) Members Mr. Zsolt Moradi (Hungary) Mr. Daimi Akin (Norway) Mr. Romeo Desa (Croatia) Mrs. Katarzyna Kociszewska-Palacz (Poland) Mr. Yury Lakhtikov (Estonia) Mr. Massimiliano Bianco (Italy) Disciplinary and Ethical Committee Chairman Mr. Nikolaus Gstaettner (Austria) Members Mr. Romeo Desa (Croatia) Mr. Thomas Steenberg (Norway) Mr. Kiandro Lebon (Belgium) Mr. Lamija Ogric (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Mrs. Rabia Ozge Kayici (Turkey) Grading Syllabus and Standards Committee Chairman Mr. Tomaz Barada (Slovenia) Members Mr. Pablo Acuna (Chile) Mr. Willem Jacob Bos (Italy) Mr. Nizar Taleb (Palestine) Mrs. Denitsa Milenkova (Bulgaria) Mrs. Eleftheria Panagopoulou (Greece) Mr. Peter Edwards (Great Britain) Mr. Santosh Kumar Agrawal (India) Mr. Mark Greubel (USa) Innovation and Technology Committee Chairman Mrs. Francesca Falsoni (Italy) Members Mr. Dominik Hoelbling (Austria) Mr. Cebrail Gencoglu (Turkey) International Relation Committee Chairman Mr. Espen Lund (Norway) Members Mr. Roy Baker (Ireland) Mr. Donato Milano (Italy) Mr. Salim Kayici (Turkey) Mr. Antonios Mavrommatis (Greece) Legal Committee Chairwoman Mrs. Francesca Falsoni (Italy) Members Mr. Nikolaus Gstaettner (Austria) Mr. Kiandro Lebon (Belgium) Media Committee Chairwoman Mrs. Marijana Pelevic (Serbia) Members Mrs. Barbara Falsoni (Italy) Mr. Danny Slevin (Ireland) Mr. Marek Krugol (Estonia) Medical, Health & Anti Doping Committee Chairman Mr. Massimiliano Bianco (Italy) Member, Anti-Doping Officer Mr. Gianlorenzo Daniele (USA) Members Mr. Vitale Monte (Italy) Mr. Andreas Lodrup (Norway) Mrs. Suzana Milutinovic (Serbia) Mr. Andreas Angelopoulos (Greece) Mr. Almos Gogl (Hungary) Mr. Pedro Figueiredo (Portugal) Mr. Aissar Eduardo Nassif (Brasil) Mr. Victor Hugo Garcia Camacho (Mexico) Organizing Committee Chairman Mr. Roy Baker (Ireland) Members Mr. Srdjan Bugarcic (Serbia) Mr. Nicola Traina (Italy) Mr. Romeo Desa (Croatia) Mr. Giorgio Ceravolo (Italy) Mr. Danny Slevin (Ireland) Mr. Ilija Salerno (Ireland) Mrs. Marijana Pelevic (Serbia) Mrs. Elaine Small (Ireland) Mr. Adil Triqui (Germany) Para and Inclusive Committee Chairman Mr. Jesus Eguia Martin (Spain) Members Mrs. Seila Espinosa Alcalda (Spain) Mrs. Noemi Centeno (Spain) Mr. Daniel Lopez Alvarez (Spain) Mrs. Ana Isabel Sordo Bueno (Spain) Mr. Emmanuel Badillo (Mexico) Mr. Ahmed Alshehri (Saudi Arabia) Mr. Lucio Stella (Italy) Mr Jean-Francois Filion (Canada) Mr. Gregory (Ed) Bavelock (Australia) Professional Committee Chairman Mr. Roy Baker (Ireland) Members Mrs. Francesca Falsoni (Italy) Mr. Carlos Ramjanali (Portugal) Mr. Donato Milano (Italy) Referee Committee Ring Sports Chairman Mr. Yuri Lakhtikov (Estonia) Members Mr. Sami Savo (Finland) Mr. Zoran Simurina (Serbia) Mr. Thomas Henniger (USA) Mr. Jan Frana (Czech Republic) Mr. Mostafa Elrhannam (Morocco) Mr. Sultangali Kuandyk (Kazakhstan) Mr. Tomislav Novosel (Croatia) Ms. Michaela Kovacova (Slovakya) Mr. Gabor Szabo (Hungary) Mr. Wilson Okon (Nigeria) Mr. Vivek Sathees (India) Mr. Sahin Kocak (Turkey) Honorary Member Mr. Flavio Brivio (Italy) Referee Committee Tatami Sports Kim Kristoffersen (Norway) Chairman WAKO IF Tatami Referee Committee Karl Wilson Snr (Ireland) Const. Technical Director Tatami sport Jasmin Ernet (Austria) Committee member WAKO IF Tatami Referee Committee Sean Whelan (Great Britain) Committee member WAKO IF Tatami Referee Committee Claire Cocozza (Canada) Committee member WAKO IF Tatami Referee Committee Ryszard Zawistowski (Poland) Committee member WAKO IF Tatami Referee Committee Seema Saini (India) Committee member WAKO IF Tatami Referee Committee Raymond Staut (Belgium) Committee member WAKO IF Tatami Referee Committee Marlon Rios (Guatemala) Committee member WAKO IF Tatami Referee Committee Thomas Steenberg (Norway) Honorary member WAKO IF Tatami Referee Committee Rules Committee Chairman Mr. Romeo Desa (Croatia) Members Mr. Danny Slevin (Ireland) Mr. Yury Lahtikov (Estonia) Mr. Zsolt Moradi (Hungary) Mr. Kim Kristoffersen (Norway) Mr. Daimi Akin (Norway) Mr. Jesus Eguia Martin (Spain) Mr. Srdjan Bugarcic (Serbia) Event and Membership Committee Chairman Mr. Istvan Kiraly (Hungary) Members Mr. Nikolaus Gstaettner (Austria) Mr. Zsolt Moradi (Hungary) Mr. Salim Kayici (Turkey) Mr. Romeo Desa (Croatia) Technical Committee Chairman Mr. Romeo Desa (Croatia) Members Mr. Srdjan Bugarcic (Serbia) Mr. Kai Becker (Germany) Mr. Otmar Felsberger (Austria) Mr. Santosh K. Agrawal (India) Mrs. Elaine Small (Ireland) Mr. Tom Hanniger (USA) Mr. Yury Lakhtikov (Estonia) Mr. Nizar Taleb (Palestine) Women in Sport Committee Chairwoman Mrs. Katarzyna Kociszewska (Poland) Members Mrs. Marijana Pelevic (Serbia) Mrs. Francesca Falsoni (Italy) Mrs. Sharon Gill (Great Britain) Mrs. Patrice Nadre Kevine (Ivory Coast) Mrs. Darya Strutinska (Latvia) Mrs. Valencia Yip Yin Tung (Singapore) Mrs. Alexandra Filipova (Slovakya) Mrs. Shabnum Mia (South Africa) Mrs. Christina Kostak (Ukraine) Whistleblowing Committee Chairwoman Mrs. Francesca Falsoni (Italy) Members Mrs. Lucinda Edwards (Great Britain) Mr. Istvan Kiraly (Hungary) Mr. Aslam Mahomed (South Africa) Mr. Dario Alvarado (Venezuela)

Meet WAKO’s Athletes’ Committee, dedicated to representing the voice of athletes, promoting their well-being, and driving positive change in kickboxing. Athletes’ Committee WAKO’s mission is to place the Athletes at the heart of the Sport of Kickboxing. We are the Athletes’ Committee (WAKO AC) that serves as a link between the most important unit of the organization, the Athletes and WAKO. We make sure that the Kickboxers’ voices are heard and taking into proper consideration. Our motto is “ATHLETES FIRST” as without the athletes, there would be no need for sports organizations at all. Our mission is to – Support and protect clean and fair sport – Empower and ensure Athlete representation in the WAKO decision-making processes – Support Athlete development in their sporting and non-sporting careers (Dual Career) – Provide advices to the WAKO Board of Directors and maintain close cooperation with the WAKO Committees – Ensure direct communication between the Athletes and WAKO – Maintain a link with the IOC Athletes’ Commission – Engage in relevant athlete-related projects If you are an Athlete, you can directly contact your country’s WAKO National Federation for more information on the national athletes’ committee or feel free to contact us for general guidance regarding athlete related issues on athletescommittee@wako.sport #HearYourVoice #WAKOkickboxing #WAKOAC #ATHLETESFIRST Useful links Athlete365 Discover the official community for elite Athletes and Olympians & download the APP IOC Athletes’ Commission WADA Discover the website of the World Ani-Doping Agency & download the APP WAKO Committees Check out the Members of the WAKO AC WAKO Rules Including the WAKO Anti Doping Rules & Equipment Book WAKO Policies Including the WAKO Guidelines Athletes Committee Events Calendar Check out the upcoming and past events of WAKO WAKO Ranking