IKA WORLD CUP-Warsaw-Poland-1997

On May 2-4, 1997 in Warsaw (Palace of Culture and Science) the KARATE WORLD CUP was held by the IKA federation. At the invitation of the President of the Polish Karate Association, Tomasz Piotrkowicz, karate competitors from 10 countries came to the capital of Poland. Nearly 460 competitors took part in the competition. It was the ninth edition of this competition. Clubs competed in the Championship, not national teams. Poland was represented by several national karate clubs. The competition was based on various categories - kata (formal systems), Kobudo-kata and kumite (fight). These categories were additionally divided into individual and team competitions. The honorary guests of the IKA World Cup were: soke Takayuki Kubota 10 dan (from the USA - creator of the IKA-Interantional Karate Association) and kancho Takemasa Okuyama 8 dan (from Canada).

After arriving in Warsaw, the day before the start of the IKA World Cup, competitors were registered and there was a karate seminar with the guests of honor. 

Virtually every category was filled with twenty or more competitors. So, to get to the finals, one had to fight three or even five fights in each category. 

We were all tired, but also glad that all the first organizational matters were behind us, we went to the hotel to rest, because the next day the competition was to begin.

That year our team consisted of 12 competitors. We won 5 medals in total: 1 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals. On May 3, from 8.00 am to the late evening, the qualifying rounds took place. It was a very difficult day for me because I was a coach and competitor who competed in four categories. I treated the preparation for this competition very seriously as I spent half a year on proper preparation, training twice a day and taking part in various national competitions and going to training camps. As the saying goes, hard work pays off. I made it to the finals in all four categories.

On the afternoon of May 4, the finals of the IKA World Cup began. In the Shotokan senior kata category, I made it to the finals by competing in two rounds and finally finished in fifth place. In the senior team kata (me, Ryszard Mucha and Sebastian Zaremba) we won the bronze medal. In the individual kumite seniors up to 80 kg, I got to the final, after fighting four fights, but I lost to Manuel Intriago (Ecuador), therefore I took the silver medal home. In the team kumite seniors, the most prestigious category at the World Cup, myself, Adam Gazda and Mariusz Zieliński won the gold medal, beating the national teams of Russia, Germany and the USA along the way. 

And as it sometimes happens, during this competition a few of our competitors brushed against the podium, taking fourth or fifth place. Due to the total number of competitors, the high level of the sports competition and the opportunity to exchange experiences in such a noble group, one could say the IKA World Cup, having the status of the International Karate Association World Championship, was a very successful event.