Kickboxing Organizations: WAKO, WAKO USA, GLORY, ONE and the Olympics

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A team bus outside a sports hall in Europe: American teenagers in matching jackets, point-fighting gloves and foot pads in their bags, about to fight for medals at a world championship. Thousands of miles away, a pro kickboxer makes weight for a title bout, and a club coach in Ohio fills out the entries for a local open tournament. Kickboxing runs on a web of federations, national bodies, promotions and commissions. This page sorts out the kickboxing organizations that matter, how fighters move from the gym to the world stage, and where the sport stands with the Olympics, as of 2026.

New to the sport? Start at our kickboxing hub. Muay Thai has its own federations; see our Muay Thai organizations page. Boxing’s bodies are on our boxing leagues page and MMA’s on our MMA leagues page.

Who’s who at a glance

Organization	Level	What it does
WAKO	World	World federation for amateur kickboxing in seven disciplines; fully recognized by the IOC (2021)
WAKO USA	National	US member of WAKO; national championships, Team USA
GLORY	Professional	Kickboxing promotion with K1-style rules
ONE Championship	Professional	Singapore-based promotion running kickboxing alongside other combat sports
State athletic commissions	US states	License pros and supervise events; many use ABC model rules

WAKO, the world federation

The World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO) was founded in Berlin on February 26, 1977, and says it represents 130 affiliated nations on five continents, 105 of them recognized by their National Olympic Committee or government sports authority. It writes the rules for the seven kickboxing disciplines (point fighting, light contact, kick light, full contact, low kick, K1 style and musical forms), and every WAKO competition, down to national championships and local open tournaments, has to follow those fighting rules. WAKO has adopted the World Anti-Doping Code, and every fighter at its events needs a yearly “fit to fight” medical certificate. Only equipment from WAKO-approved makers may be used at its top international events.

The IOC milestone: WAKO received full recognition at the 138th IOC Session in Tokyo in July 2021. Recognition makes it part of the Olympic family. It doesn’t put a sport on the Olympic program by itself.

WAKO’s competition calendar

• World Championships: seniors and masters in odd years; children, cadets and juniors in even years. Only national teams recognized by WAKO can enter, with one fighter per weight class in a discipline for seniors and two for cadets and juniors.
• Continental Championships: the same format, with the years flipped: seniors in even years, youth in odd years.
• World Cups (World Grand Prix): tournaments of at least three days, open to clubs as well as national teams, with daily weigh-ins for ring fighters and only official WAKO referees.
• Continental cups, regional championships, national championships and open tournaments: run by WAKO-recognized federations under the same rules. Opens can hold separate beginners’ divisions.

One more rule shapes a fighter’s plan: at a championship, a ring kickboxer can enter only one ring discipline and can’t also fight on the mat, while a tatami fighter may enter point fighting, light contact and kick light together.

In the United States: WAKO USA

WAKO USA describes itself as the only US kickboxing organization with IOC recognition. It runs the National Kickboxing Championships in both ring and tatami formats, offers individual and club memberships, and athletes qualify through nationals to represent the US at events such as the Pan-American Championships, the World Games and the World Combat Games. It notes that it receives no government funding. Under WAKO rules, a fighter must be registered with a WAKO-recognized national federation to enter any WAKO competition, and coaches need a WAKO license to work a corner at world and continental events.

Other sanctioning bodies run amateur kickboxing shows in the US too. Before your first bout, ask who sanctions the event, which rules it uses, whether a doctor will be ringside, and whether the state’s athletic commission oversees it.

Professional promotions

• GLORY: founded in 2012 and based in London, the best-known kickboxing promotion. Six weight classes in its rules, from featherweight (up to 65 kg) to heavyweight (over 95 kg), with weigh-ins the day before. If a fighter misses weight and the bout still goes ahead, up to 20% of their purse can go to the opponent when they’re 1 kg or less over, and up to 30% beyond that. Bouts are three 3-minute rounds, five for title fights; GLORY supplies 8 oz gloves under 65 kg and 10 oz above; knees are allowed but only one per clinch, and elbows and sweeps are fouls. Judges’ scores are shown after each round.
• ONE Championship: founded in Singapore in 2011 and running kickboxing alongside Muay Thai, MMA and submission grappling. Kickboxing uses 8 oz gloves at bantamweight and below and 10 oz above. Bouts are three 3-minute rounds, five for world titles, and fighters must pass a urine hydration test before the weigh-in.

State athletic commissions and the ABC

In the US, professional kickboxing events are licensed and supervised state by state. The Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) writes model “unified rules” that many commissions adopt. Its professional kickboxing rules (approved 2017) allow up to ten 3-minute rounds with 8 or 10 oz gloves, 10-point must scoring, knees, and kicks to the whole leg except thrusting kicks to the knee joint. Its amateur kickboxing rules (2019) allow up to nine 2-minute rounds with 10 or 12 oz gloves, with no knees to the head, no elbows, and a clinch only to throw knees, for no more than five seconds. Who can fight, at what age and with which medical tests is up to each state, so check yours. Fight-week details are on our fight day page.

World Games, European Games and the Olympics

• The World Games: the multi-sport games for sports outside the Olympic program. Kickboxing was an invitational sport in Wrocław, Poland, in 2017 and an official one in Birmingham, Alabama, in 2022 (under K1 rules). It returned in Chengdu, China, in 2025, with point-fighting events.
• European Games: kickboxing debuted at Kraków-Małopolska 2023 with full contact, light contact and point fighting events.
• Olympics: kickboxing isn’t on the program for Los Angeles 2028. It was one of nine sports on the LA28 organizers’ 2022 shortlist, but the five chosen were baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash. Boxing remains the Olympic striking sport; see our boxing section.

The pathway, from first class to the world stage

1. Join a gym and learn without contact. Pad work, bag work, technique, conditioning. Kids start with point fighting or forms (see our youth page).
2. Get a membership and a medical. Register with your national federation and get a doctor’s “fit to fight” certificate, renewed every year.
3. Fight locally. Club shows and open tournaments, matched by age, weight and experience, often with beginners’ divisions.
4. Nationals and Team USA. WAKO USA’s national championships lead to world and continental championships, World Cups and, for a few, the World Games.
5. Turn pro, or don’t. Pros are licensed by a state commission and sign with promotions. Many fighters stay amateur, compete as masters from 41 or coach.

At every step, a good coach controls sparring, and the rules bench anyone knocked out: WAKO for at least four weeks, with a medical check before the return. Our rules page has the details, and our training page covers the work in between.

Gear for the road to nationals

Big WAKO events allow only equipment from approved makers, so many competitors buy gloves sold as WAKO approved, like the Top Ten 10 oz leather gloves for light contact, kick light and the ring, or Top Ten point-fighting gloves for the mat; check your event’s current list before you buy. A Polar H10 heart-rate strap helps keep easy days easy (see our heart rate monitor guide), and many fighters use a Hypervolt Go 3 massage gun on travel days (see our massage gun guide). More on our kickboxing gear page.

Kickboxing organizations FAQs

What is the governing body for kickboxing?

The World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO), founded in 1977 and fully recognized by the IOC since 2021. Its US member is WAKO USA. Pro kickboxing is run by promotions such as GLORY and ONE, under state commissions in the US.

Will kickboxing be in the 2028 Olympics?

No. It isn’t on the LA28 program. Kickboxing made the organizers’ 2022 shortlist but wasn’t chosen. It’s an official World Games sport and made its European Games debut in 2023.

How often are the WAKO World Championships?

Every year, alternating: seniors and masters in odd years, and children, cadets and juniors in even years. Continental championships alternate the other way.

Do I need a license to fight as an amateur?

You’ll need a membership with the sanctioning body and a medical clearance; some states also require a license or registration for amateur events. Ask the event organizer and your state’s athletic commission.

What’s the difference between GLORY and ONE?

GLORY is a kickboxing-only promotion with K1-style rules: no elbows, no sweeps and one knee per clinch. ONE runs kickboxing alongside Muay Thai, MMA and grappling. Both use three 3-minute rounds and five for titles.