April 18, 2017
Two tournaments were organized in Dnipro at the same location on April 8th 2017: Ukrainian open kyokushinkaikan karate championship (IKO Matsushima) in kumite among men and women, and Ukrainian Open Kyokushinkaikan Karate tournament among youth (12-17 y.o. boys).
Both competitions were organized by Dnipropetrovsk regional branch of Ukrainian Kyokushinkaikan Karate Federation (head sensei Golovin Dmytro Volodymyrovych). Branch Chief of Ukraine Shihan Dmytro Volynets (town Lutsk) directed and coordinated the event personally.
The tournaments hosted 75 fighters from Kyiv, Dnipro, Lutsk, Mykolayiv, Kamyanske and Vilnogirsk. The sportsmen represented IKO Matsushima, WKB, WKO, KyokushinKan and IBK organizations.
This bare listing of facts can say nothing about the real atmosphere of the competitions. One can safely say that organizers managed to organize a kyokushin festive, and even more –it was a spectacular show on the level of professional fighting events. It is certain, that this event is outstanding in comparison with other competitions of such a level. The very place of the event was unusual. The organizers chose an entertainment hall instead of a traditional sporting arena site. So the tatami was set on the dancing floor. Spectators were seated around it and on balconies, so they could watch everything in comfort. Hall’s perimeter was equipped with monitors, showing kyokushin videos. There was a music accompaniment and bright lighting when sportsmen went on the tatami and their fights stared. A professional ring-announcer introduced fighters in the final fights, telling about their achievements. Prize money also impressed. All the prize-winners were awarded worthy cups, exclusive medals and diplomas. Such a prize money is really something even for higher level tournaments. One can safely say, that it was the best show among all the kyokushin karate tournaments performed in Ukraine so far.
The competition organization was almost irreproachable. Each fighter was given a number, and the fights were also numbered. The organizers hanged out list of fighters in each category, including their club’s names and declared weight of the sportsmen. The fights were performed almost without delays, the numbering helped it a lot, as well as distinct pronouncing of the fighter’s names. The event conformed to the rules, although the district was unplugged from electricity and it postponed the start for 1hour.
All the teams presented their best fighters, therefore all the fights were quite a show. There were several knock-outs, but medics had everything under control. So there were no serious injuries and the organizers awarded regional emergency and accident aid center with a special diploma for that.
After the end of the tournament sensei Dmytro Golovin announced, that this event is going to become regular and invited all the guests to visit Dnipro next year. See you in Dnipro in 2018.
