Kickboxing returns to Surrey with ISKA championship weekend<\/p>\n
Published 11:00 am Tuesday, April 28, 2026<\/p>\n
Kickboxing has returned to B.C. \u2014 and South Surrey \u2014 in a big way.<\/p>\n
A series of successful events marked its official return under structured leadership, enhanced safety standards, and renewed public enthusiasm, according to Mostafa Sabeti, who was recently named president of International Sport Kickboxing Association Canada\u2019s (ISKA) amateur sports division.<\/p>\n
Sabeti, a seventh-degree black belt and former kickboxing world champion with more than 25 years of coaching experience, said he is \u201cushering in a new era focused on unity, professionalism, and longterm growth of the sport across Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt ISKA, we believe that what happens anywhere affects everything everywhere,\u201d said Sabeti. \u201cThat\u2019s why we are committed to building a unified, safe, and professional environment for all athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n
A major highlight of the week was the first international refereeing and judging course held in Surrey, which brought together more than 70 participants from across British Columbia and other provinces \u2014 demonstrating the growing demand for structured development in kickboxing, Sabeti noted.<\/p>\n
The momentum follows a challenging period in 2023, when kickboxing activities in the province were halted due to safety concerns and the absence of a unified governing body. Through extensive collaboration with regulatory authorities, the sport has now made a safe and organized return, Sabeti said.<\/p>\n
The resurgence officially began with a professional event Friday (April 24) at Empress Palace in Surrey, featuring two headline ISKA championship bouts: the ISKA Canadian Amateur Women\u2019s title, and the ISKA Men\u2019s Professional North American title.<\/p>\n
After five competitive rounds, Surrey\u2019s Sonia Blade emerged victorious over Zena Shaw of Vancouver Island for the belt, while Surrey\u2019s Conor Oflatry secured a first-round knockout over Blayne Slavik of Oklahoma City to claim the championship belt.<\/p>\n
Sabeti said the event drew a full crowd and generated an electric atmosphere, signaling a strong future for professional kickboxing in British Columbia.<\/p>\n
Saturday featured the first officially sanctioned amateur kickboxing tournament in the province under the new framework, conducted in South Surrey with full regulatory approval, featuring certified officials, comprehensive medical coverage \u2014 including ringside physicians and paramedics \u2014 and strict adherence to safety protocols.<\/p>\n
A total of 148 participants from 29 clubs across British Columbia took part in the event, representing a wide range of disciplines including kickboxing bouts, forms (kata), high jump kick, and board breaking. Of these, 120 athletes competed in fight divisions. Competitors ranged in age from four to 63 years old, showcasing the inclusivity and reach of the sport, Sabeto shared.<\/p>\n
The tournament concluded without any injuries or major incidents, underscoring the effectiveness of the newly implemented safety standards.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe strong turnout and community engagement highlight kickboxing\u2019s growing potential in British Columbia, offering meaningful opportunities for youth and adults alike while promoting health, discipline, and confidence,\u201d Sabeti noted.<\/p>\n
The next event is scheduled for May 10 at the Richmond Olympic Oval.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kickboxing returns to Surrey with ISKA championship weekend Published 11:00 am Tuesday, April 28, 2026 Kickboxing has returned…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":634733,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194299],"tags":[49,48,87674],"class_list":["post-634732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-surrey","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-surrey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=634732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/634733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=634732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=634732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=634732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}