Major events boost combat sports participation, showing growth beyond elite athletes to amateurs and diverse demographics.
🔗 Read the article on ilsole24ore.com
[This is an automatically generated summary, for reference only]
Major events are driving growth and encouraging participation even at amateur levels within combat sports. What was once a trend has evolved into a passion where physical activity is linked to overall well-being. In Italy, there are approximately 150 thousand athletes participating in disciplines like kickboxing, karate, boxing, savate, Thai boxing, Taekwondo, and MMA across various recognized federations. A notable event featuring Giorgio Petrosyan provided a significant boost to the movement, showing increasing technical skill among amateurs. Beyond major events, Italy hosts numerous smaller competitions annually. This growth is attributed not only to professional fighters but also to dedicated daily practitioners within sports associations. Furthermore, combat sports have shed their negative perception; today, many gyms feature children (40%), women (20-25%), and men. The discipline is now supported by instructors who act as educators, and federations are even training coaches for athletes with disabilities. This growth trend is also visible in other EU countries, such as France (with savate) and the Netherlands (with Thai boxing and MMA).
