The World Assaut Championships took place in Paris on the 24th and 25th September. Nearly 400 people, representing more than 30 countries, gathered at Halle Carpentier all wanting to be processed, weighed in, given hotel rooms, meal vouchers and all the small behind the scenes things that allow these big Championships to take place.
This year our host M. Yonnel Kurtz, who with Mme Glennys Verone and a large team of volunteers, did an excellent job. The streamlined way to register teams and weigh-in fighters was very easy and a big improvement on previous years.
The organizers had the added problem that due to the French transport strikes, teams, officials, anti-doping officials, and doctors could not arrive when they had expected to, so some minor delays were going to be inevitable.
Every team was allocated a hotel within an easy walking distance from the venue, fighters, team coaches and heads of delegations were all staying at the same hotel - a big thank you to our host, Yonnel, for this. Our meals were served “on site” and were also of a much higher standard than seen in other Championships, many thanks to all involved in the preparation and delivery of our sustenance.
The standard of competition was very high throughout the 16 weight categories (8 male, 8 female). In total, 22 countries gained medals; the French team headed the medal table, but not without some hard-fought semi-finals and finals.