
2024 World Tournament
Sunday, September 29, 2024 / Osaka, Japan
Review
The 1st WORLD TOURNAMENT presented by I.K.O.N. was held on Sunday, September 29th at Maishima Arena. Prior to this historic event, regional tournaments were hosted by the senior branch chiefs of the organization, to select fighters who would represent their countries and regions. Sixteen female and thirty-two male fighters won their spots and traveled to Osaka, Japan. The preparatory work leading up to the event began a year ago. It was completed a week before the event to showcase the Kyokushin spirit for the fighters who had gone through a long journey to get to the big day. Maishima Arena, one of the largest sports venues in Japan, was converted into a celebration of lights with top-notch productions that created a visually captivating atmosphere. The forty-eight fighters looked proud of themselves standing in Fudo Dachi on the mat at the opening ceremony. Sosui Makoto Nakamura and Daihyo Masanaga Nakamura welcomed them by giving a motivational opening speech.


As they walked up for a match, all fighters were individually introduced by a professional MC who specialized in a sports event generating excitement and encouraging the spirit of Budo and sportsmanship among the participants and spectators. By the time the first-round match commenced between Yuya Konishi from Japan and Jean-Francois Valiquette from Canada, the venue was already filled with a heated atmosphere developed with thunderous applause from the spectators of the two countries.
In the Women's Division, Japan's Mizuki Hamamoto, Taiwan's Yi-Rong Chen, and Australia's Alessandra D'sa secured the top four spots by fully utilizing their powerful combination attacks backed by their strong physiques. While the advancement of the three fighters met the crowd's expectations, a lightweight fighter, Norina Csordas, held everyone's complete attention with her remarkable footwork skills. The final saw the Hungarian strive to control the distance and adjust her positioning against Alessandra D'sa. But the Australian was not just a charging fighter. She was very technical and distinguished herself by spreading her leg techniques among Jodan, Chudan, and Gedan levels. The lighter Noria Csordas managed to keep the match even but was pushed back in the last several seconds. The judging team took it as a decisive factor and awarded a victory to Alessandra D'sa. The crowd gave a round of applause for the superior performances demonstrated by the young fighters, both 18 years old. It is worth mentioning that the tournament saw Canada's Karine Corriveau fight her last matches and end her two-decade-long international fighting career. Her contribution to inspiring female Kyokushin athletes in the country was and will continue to be unparalleled even after her retirement as a fighter.
​
In the Men's Division, Kyokushin powerhouses such as Japan and Russia advanced well through the rounds. In the quarter-finals, Yuya Konishi faced off against Ting-Hsiang Tu from Taiwan. The up-and-coming young fighter, Tu, stayed at a close distance and moved laterally against Konishi. The Japanese struggled with the opponent's swift moves but remained calm and landed a well-timed Jodan Mawashi Geri to knock down Tu. The 2023 IFKC Heavyweight Champion, Ibragim Musluev, fought the Euro title holder, Lukas Prem from Austria who looked sharp and pushed the Russian fighter into an extension round. Ibragim Musluev set up the experienced Austrian with his speedy Gedan Mawashi and landed a dynamic jumping Jodan kick resulting in a sensational knockout. In the first semi-final match, Japan's Genki Kamei took a barrage of body punches and Gedan kicks fired from Mohammad Rahimzade. However, the Japanese pressed on and eventually outpaced the Iranian Heavyweight Champion. The second semi-final match brought Japan's Konishi and Russia's Musluev to a second extension round. With seemingly inexhaustible stamina in his tank, the high-octane Chechnyan fighter outperformed his opponent in the overtime to end the grueling match in his favor. The final bout between Genki Kamei and Iragim Musluev was nothing short of "amazing". The two fighters determined to bring the first I.K.O.N. World Title back home collided with each other for a total of seven minutes. The crowd was kept on the edge of their seats as the finalists embodied the Kyokushin spirit on the battlefield. Neither of them backed down throughout but Kamei, who began training at the age of 4 at Honbu, squeezed up all his energy one last time and gave the final ten seconds a focused burst of effort. When Genki Kamei was declared a winner, all in the venue gave both fighters a long-lasting standing ovation.






Official Results
Alessandra D'sa
Norina Csordas
Mizuki Hamamoto
Yi-Rong Chen
Norina Csordas
Nami Sawai​
Australia
Hungary
Japan
Taiwan
Hungary
Japan
Women's Division
1st place:
2nd place:
3rd place:​
4th place:​
Best Technical Fighter award:​
Makoto Nakamura Spirit Award:​

Japan
Russia
Iran
Japan
Poland
Canada
Genki Kamei
Ibragim Musluev
Mohammad Rahimzade
Konishi Yuya
Oskar Romaniuk
Sasha Tadayoni
Men's Division
1st Place:
2nd Place:
3rd Place:
4th Place:
Best Technical Fighter Award:
Makoto Nakamura Spirit Award:

