The 7th Asian Savate Championships were successfully held in Kathmandu from 1 to 3 May, following a two-day international referee seminar organised ahead of the competition. In the absence of Anna Khosravi, Head of Asian Officials, the seminar was led by Gilles Le Duigou.
Hosted by the Nepal Savate Association with technical and official support from the Fédération Internationale de Savate and the Asian Savate Confederation, the championships brought together around 300 athletes from across Asia and Oceania.The event took place at Kathmandu University in Dhulikhel and featured participation from nine countries. Several delegations, including Iran and Lebanon, were unfortunately unable to attend due to regional conflict affecting travel and flight availability.
Host nation Nepal finished at the top of the overall medal standings, winning 31 gold, 20 silver and 30 bronze medals. India placed second with 18 gold medals, while Indonesia completed the top three nations overall. Uzbekistan received the Disciplined Team Trophy.Several individual awards were also presented during the championships. Nepal’s Amrita Tamang received the Fair Play Award, Uzbekistan’s Mashrapov Omidillol was named Best Male Athlete, and India’s Watanpai received the Best Female Athlete award.
The championships also recognised veteran participation in Savate, with athletes from New Zealand honoured during the Himalayan International Open Savate Championship category. Barney Vackey, aged 58, and Francis Vesetulu, aged 54, received Veteran Excellence Awards for their participation and contribution to the sport.
The closing ceremony was attended by ministry representatives and Gilles Le Duigou, representing FISav, who congratulated the organisers and participating nations on the successful delivery of the championships. He noted that the event demonstrated Nepal’s growing capacity to host international-level Savate competitions.Laxman Basnet thanked all athletes, officials, volunteers and partners involved in the championships and praised the spirit of sportsmanship shown throughout the event.
During the event, Indonesia also expressed its interest in hosting the 8th Asian Savate Championships, continuing the development of Savate across the Asian region.