| International Sport Karate and Kickboxing Association | |
| Type: | Private |
| Industry: | Kickboxing, MMA, and Sport Karate promotion |
| Location Country: | United States |
| Key People: | Cory Schafer (President) |
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]
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]
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]
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