10th FSKA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN SHOTOKAN KARATE and visiting Venice the city on water.

The 10th FSKA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN KARATE SHOTOKAN was held on October 10-12, 2008 in Jesolo (Italy). Several hundred competitors took part in the competition, representing countries such as: South Africa, USA, SRI LANKA, Germany, Lithuania, Russia, Mexico, France, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Austria, England and Ukraine. The SKC team consisted of four competitors (Jacek Lipinski, Konrad Kozubski, Pawel Jaworski and Dawid Rogaczyk) and brought home six medals!

Jacek Lipinski won the title of the World Champion in the individual kumite seniors + 80 kg category, defeating a competitor from South Africa in the final just before the end of time.

In the seniors team kumite category, the FSKA Poland team, joined by Jacek Lipinski (in the squad of Rafał Nowak, Piotr Szymala, Jacek Lipiński, Grzegorz Truchanowicz and Marek Krejpowicz) won the silver medal, defeating Russia 3-2, Portugal 3-2 and in the fight in the final, succumbing to France 2-3. Jacek won all his matches in the team competition, which usually ended before the time passed.

The silver medals were won by: in individual kumite seniors - 80 kg, Konrad Kozubski and -75 kg Paweł Jaworski in the individual kumite seniors - 80 kg. Just behind Kozubski, Dawid Rogaczyk came in third.

Kozubski, Rogaczyk, Jaworski joined the second Polish team in team kumite and were placed third on the podium. The founder of the FSKA (Funakoshi Shotokan Karate Association) organization Shihan Kenneth Funakoshi 9 dan came to the city of Jesolo, He was accompanied by his son Kyle Funakoshi 6 dan, Gary Dunlap sensei 6 dan, Miriam Garnica 4 dan, judges, coaches and players from all over the world - from a total of around 30 countries. The championship was organized by Giacomo S. Bertoletti 7 dan - president of WASI Sport ASD, martial arts expert, editor of three leading Italian sports magazines "Samurai Bushido", "Sportivo & Security" and "Arti d'Oriente", general director of Publications & Promotion.

Lido di Jesolo is a seaside resort near Venice in northern Italy on the Adriatic Sea. There are kilometres of sandy beach, rows of sun loungers and nightly entertainment, which, attract thousands of holidaymakers, each summer. During our several-day stay, we were blessed with beautiful sunny weather. In October, the beaches were empty, which guaranteed us a peaceful preparation for the competition. In the evenings, the streets are pedestrianized, which encourages tourists to wander, shop, eat and drink.

A day trip to Venice.

Venice, the city on the water.

Venice tempts with its original architecture and monuments from ancient times. However, what attracts most to this city is its amazing location on almost a hundred swampy islands and islets of the Adriatic, all connected by a network of water channels.

Venice is without a doubt one of the most unique cities in Europe. There is no other like this. It is also one of the most recognizable places in the world.

The best way to get to Venice is to use public transport by bus and boat. From Jesolo, take the bus. The journey takes 35 minutes and is planned to coincide with the ferry that leaves Punta Sabbioni for Venice. The main attraction of the ferry ride is the opportunity to admire the lagoon and the monuments. The colour of the water is immediately thrown to you. It looks blue under the big sun. Nobody can complain about the lack of monuments and attractions in Venice. There are many churches, bridges, museums and other culturally and historically valuable objects there.

After arriving, you will reach St. Mark! Napoleon called it the Ballroom of Europe. Here, as usual, crowds, pigeons are everywhere! However, it is beautiful! Tourists sit in pubs by the square, the orchestra plays great music, it is exceptional! After leaving St. Mark we let ourselves wander around, exploring the city. On the way we passed many restaurants and bars. It's easy to get lost in narrow streets. Sometimes they captivate, sometimes they scare ... but the climate will not give them anything back, every now and then we encounter small canals, narrow streets, often blind and we have to go back. We circle around a few times, such charms of Venice!

I have heard many extremely different opinions about Venice, many people are very much in love with the city on the water. Others, in turn, claims that their foot will never again stand on that land. And I think I belong to the first group and I will definitely go back there.

Do you know that :

1. Venice is famous for its canals and especially the fact that it is sinking - in fact, it does so at the rate of a few millimeters a year, so make sure you visit soon. 
2. Venice was the main Mediterranean maritime power from the 14th to the 16th centuries. 
3. The Venetian lagoon is 15 meters deep at its deepest point. 
4. The city is often threatened by flood waves from the Adriatic Sea between autumn and early spring. 
5. Houses in Venice are numbered according to neighbourhoods rather than streets, which makes it difficult to find addresses. The rule of thumb is to look for a monument, shop or landmark in close proximity. 
6. The first woman in the world to graduate was born in Venice in 1646. 
7. Cycling is prohibited in Venice. 
8. The city is visited by 18 million tourists a year, an average of 50 thousand daily. 
9. There are around 350 gondolas in Venice. On average, the gondolas are 11 meters long and weigh about 600 kilograms. 
10. The first public casino in the world was opened in Venice in 1638. 
11. The Venetian Lagoon, together with Venice itself, was entered on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987. 
12. The oldest film festival is held in Venice, which has been held since 1932. 
13. The famous merchant and traveler Marco Polo was born in Venice.