Oriental Martial Arts is an amalgamated sport which encompasses four Japanese Martial Arts: Shotokan, Shito-ryu, Kobudo and Kudo and one martial art of Vietnam – Viet Vo Dao.
In the second half of the 20th century these five South-East Asian fighting arts transformed into popular sports. Today the total number of their practitioners exceeds 14,8 million people world over. By today they have obtained official recognition as sports or sport’s disciplines and established National Federations in over 200 countries. Respective International Sport Federations regularly hold World and Continental adult, junior, cadet and children Championships, Cups and other tournaments.
IOMAA Unified International Competition Rules incorporate the Rules of conducting Shotokan, Shito-ryu, Kobudo, Kudo and Viet Vo Dao individual and team (group) sport competitions in:
– full-contact bouts (fighting) without traditional oriental weapons in weight divisions, using protective gear (Kobodo, Kudo, Viet Vo Dao)
– semi-contact bouts (fighting) without traditional oriental weapons, in weight divisions, using protective gear (Viet Vo Dao);
– full-contact bouts (fighting) with a traditional oriental weapon (Nunchaku) in open weight only, using protective gear (Kobudo);
– light-contact (“skin touch”) bouts (fighting – Shiai Kumite) without traditional oriental weapons, in open weight division only, without using protective gear (Shotokan);
– light-contact (“skin touch”) bouts (fighting – Shiai Kumite) without traditional oriental weapons, in weight divisions, without using protective gear (Shito-Ryu);
– non-contact free-style one-step sparring (Kihon-Ippon Kumite) for children, without traditional oriental weapons, in open weight division only, without using protective gear (Shotokan);
– non-contact pre-arranged one-step sparring (Jyu-Ippon Kumite), without traditional oriental weapons, without using protective gear (Shotokan);
– non-standardized non-contact pre-arranged traditional patterns (fighting forms) with opponent, without traditional oriental weapons, without using protective gear (Kobodo, Viet Vo Dao);
– non-standardized non-contact pre-arranged traditional patterns (fighting forms) with opponent, with traditional oriental weapons, without using protective gear (Kobodo, Viet Vo Dao);
– standardized traditional patterns (technical forms) without opponent (Kata) without traditional oriental weapons (Kobodo, Shotokan, Shito-Ryu, Viet Vo Dao);
– standardized traditional patterns (technical forms) without opponent (Kata) with traditional oriental weapons (Kobodo, Viet Vo Dao);
– non-standardized (free-style) patterns (technical forms) without opponent (Kata) without traditional oriental weapons (Kobodo, Viet Vo Dao);
– non-standardized (free-style) patterns (technical forms) without opponent (Kata) with traditional oriental weapons (Kobodo, Viet Vo Dao).
With the purpose to consolidate efforts in promoting these five Oriental Martial Arts as a united sport, on 4th April 2014 the Founding Conference was held in Riga, Latvia. It was attended by delegates from 70 National Oriental Martial Arts federations as well as Shotokan, Shito-ryu, Kobudo, Kudo and Viet Vo Dao federations, associations, unions, collectively representing 40 countries of five Continents. The Conference launched a new international non-profit umbrella sports organization – the International Oriental Martial Arts Association (IOMAA) .
Alexandrs Dudoladovs from Latvia, 6th Dan, Latvian Kobudo Federation President and former Latvian Karate Champion was elected the IOMAA President.
Mr. Ilya Gouliev from Russia, 6th Dan, European JKA (Shotokan) Federation President and Oriental Martial Arts Federation of Russia President was elected the IOMAA First Vice-President.
The following Oriental Martial arts Masters were elected IOMAA Regional Directors:
IOMAA World Headquarters is in Riga, Latvia
IOMAA President Alexandrs Dudoladovs, 6th Dan)
IOMAA west European Headquarters is in Bottrop, Germany
IOMAA Regional Director for West Europe Hideo Ochi, 8th Dan
IOMAA Euro-Asian Headquarters is in Moscow, Russia
IOMAA First Vice-President, Regional Director for Euro-Asia Ilya Gouliev, 6th Dan
IOMAA Asian Headquarters is in Tokyo, Japan
IOMAA Regional Director for Asia and Oceania Yosiharu Nakayama, 10th Dan
IOMAA Pan-American Headquarters is in Rio-de-Janeiro, Brazil
IOMAA Regional Director for Pan-America Yushitaka Tanaka, 8th Dan
IOMAA African Headquarters is in Midrand, South Africa
IOMAA Regional Director for Africa David Freedman, 8th Dan
IOMAA Australian Headquarters is in Melbourne, Australia
IOMAA Regional Director for Australia Piet Lamberg, 7th Dan
On the 30th of December 2014 IOMAA was sealed in Riga by the Registration Chamber of the Republic of Latvia, Reg. Number 40008231833, Registration Certificate в„– B 019858 being issued on 14th January 2015.
The formation of IOMAA is to represent the diversity of Oriental Martial Arts widely recognized as sports and to further popularize and promote them on both national and international levels to the benefit of all their practitioners worldwide. One of the goals of IOMAA is to achieve recognition from both SportAccord and IOC and to have Oriental Martial Arts (OMA) included in the SportAccord Combat Games, the World Games and, some day – perhaps in the Olympic Games.
In order to achieve these goals, IOMAA must have all Federations representing the five distinct OMA Sports united under one OMA National Sport Federation in each country, and each country internationally united under IOMAA. Consequently, this requires collaboration, cooperation and efficiency to achieve it within a short time period. To prove the success of this effort IOMAA wants to encourage its members to get actively involved into this unification process in their respective countries starting today.