Is kickboxing an Olympic sport?

The IOC recognises WAKO, Los Angeles says no, the World and European Games say yes, and WAKO declares itself the only governing body in the world.

The short answer is no, and the long answer is more interesting. ^2,52

Recognised

On 30 November 2018 the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee, the , gave provisional recognition for three years. ^40,52,53 On 10 June 2021 the Executive Board recommended full recognition, and the 138th IOC Session, held in Tokyo in July 2021, granted it; WAKO gives the date as 20 July 2021. ^40,52,53

Delegates in a formal session hall raising their hands while a chairman stands at the front.

Recognition means WAKO is part of the Olympic Movement, alongside other recognised federations. It does not put kickboxing in the Olympic Games. ^2,52

Los Angeles says no

In August 2022 the organisers of the Los Angeles 2028 Games shortlisted kickboxing as a possible new sport. In October 2023 they did not put it forward to the IOC. ^11,40

Where kickboxing is contested

Kickboxing's multi sport home is the World Games. It was an invitational sport at Wrocław in 2017 and an official one at Birmingham, Alabama, in 2022, fought under K1 rules, and at Chengdu in 2025, with 12 events in and . ¹¹

Two fighters in head guards in a ring, one throwing a high round kick that the other blocks.

A woman in a head guard landing a controlled kick on a blue mat as the referee moves to stop them.

In Europe it was on the programme of the 2023 European Games in the Kraków region, in , and point fighting, and it will be at the European Games in Istanbul from 16 to 27 June 2027, in three formats; the qualifying event is the WAKO European Championships in Skopje from 6 to 15 November 2026. ^11,40

Two fighters in long trousers and head guards in a ring, one throwing a front kick.

WAKO's own world and continental championships are held every two years, and it has signed the World Anti-Doping Code since 2005. ^40,41

Para kickboxing

WAKO published rules for para kickboxing in November 2024. ⁴⁹ Kickboxing GB reports that Great Britain won its first para kickboxing world title at the 2026 Youth World Championships. ⁸¹

The only governing body?

In March 2026 WAKO's board changed its rules in a way that reaches every club. WAKO calls itself "the sole governing body for kickboxing worldwide", and since then its members and their athletes may not take part in events it has not approved, while athletes from outside WAKO need written approval to enter WAKO events. ⁴²

So kickboxing in 2026 is a recognised sport without an Olympic place, with one world body recognised by the IOC and several that are not. In Britain that shape is lived out every week, in leisure centres, in a national circuit, and in the rules one body wrote after a debate in Parliament.

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