The World Youth Championship (ages 15, 16 and 17 years) and the World Cup for 13 & 14 year olds in Savate Assaut took place from 21-24 June in Podcetrtek, Slovenia. The championships were organised by the Austrian Savate Federation in collaboration with the Slovenian Savate Federation. The venue, Terme Olimia, was an excellent choice with a good gym, within 5 minutes walk of the accommodation, and access to indoor and outdoor pools.
The concept of Savate Assaut is to touch without being touched, making it a safe and fun discipline for young competitors. Overall, the event was a great success, with 120 participants from 3 continents and 17 countries. There was a lively audience who supported all the athletes very loudly. The highly experienced French team took the majority of the championship finals, with the winners being awarded championship belts, along with the titles. In the World Cup, the titles were spread between 8 countries, with Canada and USA taking wins for the first time.
During the event, the ring Delegue Officials were asked to nominate candidates for the Presidents FairPlay Awards. At the finals, four young athletes received FairPlay medals along with senior athlete Mathilde Mignier who was awarded the Gold FairPlay medal for her contributions to Savate over many years. Congratulations to Mathilde, Lily(USA), Frankie (GBR), Willan (FRA) and Yasin (AZB)!
Thank you to all who made this such a great event – the athletes, coaches, officials, competitions managers, volunteers and, of course, Hrvoje Kisasondi and his young and enthusiastic team.
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