ISKA

What ISKA does

ISKA (International Sport Karate and Kickboxing Association), founded in 1986 and headquartered at 14260 W. Newberry Road #341 in Newberry, Florida, is a privately operated nonprofit sanctioning and regulatory body for combat sports competitions worldwide. The organization sanctions world, continental, national, and regional championships across an unusually broad discipline set that includes Muay Thai, K-1 Rules Kickboxing, Full Contact, Sport Karate, Point Fighting, Boxing, MMA, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wushu Sanda, Kun Khmer, and Traditional Wushu, and it has helped author the ABC Unified Rules of Kickboxing adopted by the Association of Boxing and Combat Sports Commissions. ISKA also runs instructor and referee/judge certification programs and operates regional entities (e.g., ISKA China, ISKA UK, ISKA Japan, ISKA USA, ISKA Sri Lanka, ISKA Cambodia, ISKA India, ISKA New Zealand, ISKA Mauritius, ISKA West Africa) under a network of regional and national directors spanning 22+ countries.

The core product surface is event sanctioning: promoters apply to ISKA World Headquarters for official sanctioning of their events, which confers title legitimacy, access to certified officials, and integration with broadcast partners such as ABEMA TV (Japan), DAZN (Europe), and Apsara TV (Cambodia). Revenue is generated through transaction-based event sanctioning fees, professional-services fees from official certification seminars, and licensing/title recognition fees; pricing is not publicly disclosed and is set per event by negotiation. Go-to-market is event-driven and community-led: sanctioning flows through direct application to headquarters and through regional directors, with promotional reach via the iskaworldhq.com website, an email newsletter, and the World President's Facebook presence.

In 2026, ISKA's 40th anniversary year, the organization reported 56 events across 22 countries in the first half of the year, replaced its Oriental Rules framework with Unified Rules of Kickboxing, launched a standalone World Breaking Championships product, inducted Takeru Segawa into its inaugural Hall of Fame 'Legendary Champions' class, and executed high-visibility co-sanctioned events with RISE (Japan) and OKTAGON (Europe). Day-to-day operations are led by World President Cory Schafer, with website operations supported by Webmaster Luis Costa.

Name

ISKA

Legal name

International Sport Karate and Kickboxing Association

Website

https://iskaworldhq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ISKA (International Sport Karate and Kickboxing Association) is a nonprofit founded in 1986 that sanctions and regulates combat sports championships worldwide, serving event promoters, athletes, officials, and clubs across 22+ countries and disciplines including kickboxing, Muay Thai, MMA, and Kun Khmer.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Combat Sports Sanctioning & Regulation

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121)

akta.pro primary industry

Combat Sports Sanctioning Bodies & Commissions (Boxing/MMA/Kickboxing) (MPAKAFAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Professional Sport Governing Bodies & League Sanctioning Authorities (MPAKAFAE), Rules, Officiating & Referee Associations (Officials/umpires bodies) (MPAKAFAK)

Keywords

• Combat sports sanctioning
• Martial arts regulation
• Kickboxing championships
• Sports governing body
• Official certification programs

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Event Sanctioning Fees: Promoters and organizations pay fees to obtain official ISKA sanctioning for their events. Events include world championships, regional championships, national titles, intercontinental bouts, and amateur championships across multiple combat sports.
2. Official Certification Programs: ISKA conducts referee and judge certification seminars globally. Officials receive training and certification to officiate ISKA events, contributing to organizational revenue and standard enforcement.
3. Championship Recognition and Titles: ISKA awards world, continental, national, and regional championship titles across multiple weight classes and disciplines, with sanctioning and recognition fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ISKA (International Sport Karate and Kickboxing Association) sanctions and regulates combat sports competitions worldwide, covering disciplines including kickboxing, Muay Thai, K-1 Rules, Full Contact, Sport Karate, Point Fighting, Boxing, MMA, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wushu Sanda, Kun Khmer, and Traditional Wushu. The organization provides official event sanctioning for world, continental, national, and regional championships, issues championship titles, publishes and enforces unified competition rules, and runs referee, judge, and instructor certification programs across 22+ countries.

Product overview

ISKA (International Sport Karate and Kickboxing Association) operates as a global sports sanctioning and governing organization, not a technology company. The organization provides a unified portfolio of services centered on sanctioning, regulating, and promoting combat sports competitions worldwide. The core offerings include Championship Sanctioning Services for world, continental, national, and regional events across multiple disciplines (kickboxing, Muay Thai, K-1 Rules, Kun Khmer, sport karate, breaking, and MMA); Official Rules and Regulations that establish competition standards including the newly adopted ABC Unified Rules of Kickboxing; Event Calendar and Management for ISKA-sanctioned events; and Official Certification Programs for instructors and officials. The ISKA World Championships, ISKA World Breaking Championships, and ISKA US Open represent flagship championship events. ISKA's structure includes national and regional branches worldwide that operate under the World Headquarters in Florida, USA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Championship Sanctioning Services Official sanctioning and regulation of combat sports events including world, continental, national, and regional championships under ISKA rules and standards for event promoters and organizations.
• Official Rules and Regulations Governing rules and competition standards for multiple combat sports disciplines including Unified Rules Kickboxing, Muay Thai, K-1 Rules, Kun Khmer, and sport karate, used by promoters, officials, and athletes globally.
• ISKA World Championships ISKA's flagship sanctioning service for world-level championships across kickboxing, Muay Thai, sport karate, and related combat sports disciplines, awarded to professional athletes.
• ISKA World Breaking Championships World-level breaking championships featuring multiple disciplines including power breaking, board breaking, and combat breaking for men, women, and various weight classes.
• ISKA US Open Annual ISKA World Martial Arts Championships event, one of the largest amateur combat sports competitions under the ISKA banner, held in the United States.
• Official Instructor and Referee/Judge Certification Programs Training and certification programs for kickboxing and Muay Thai instructors, as well as referee and judging certification courses conducted worldwide through international seminars.
• Championship Title Recognition and Awarding Official recognition and awarding of World Championships, European Championships, Intercontinental Championships, National Championships, and Regional Championships across weight classes and disciplines.

Quantifiable outcome

• 56 events across 22 countries during first half of 40th anniversary year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RISE (Japan)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 July 2026RISE 200 featured ISKA World Bantamweight Championship bout between Djillali Kharroubi and Ryu Hanaoka at Korakuen Hall, broadcast live on ABEMA TV. Historic collaboration between Japanese kickboxing promotion and ISKA world titles.
• OKTAGONcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 November 2025European leading kickboxing promotion OKTAGON featured official K-1 WORLD MAX qualifying round at Rome event, with ISKA World Champions competing. ISKA officials provided championship oversight.
• ABEMA TVminorOthersJapanese streaming platform broadcast RISE 200 featuring ISKA World Championship live to viewers.
• DAZNminorOthersGlobal sports streaming platform broadcast OKTAGON Rome event featuring ISKA-sanctioned K-1 WORLD MAX qualifiers.
• Apsara TVminorOthersCambodian television network provided live broadcast of ISKA Krud Kun Khmer championship events.
• Association of Boxing and Combat Sports CommissionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISKA President Cory Schafer participated in committee that authored ABC Unified Rules of Kickboxing, which was passed by unanimous vote at annual convention.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WAKO (World Association of Kickboxing Organizations): WAKO is the most direct competitor to ISKA in international kickboxing sanctioning, recognized by SportAccord and IOC. Both organizations sanction world championships across kickboxing disciplines and compete for the same promoter and federation mindshare globally.
• IMMAF (International Mixed Martial Arts Federation): IMMAF is the global sanctioning body for amateur MMA. It is directly comparable to ISKA because both sanction amateur MMA competitions, certify officials, and provide amateur pathways that feed into professional MMA promotions.
• IFMA (International Federation of Muaythai Associations): IFMA is the international governing body for amateur Muay Thai and an IOC-recognized federation. It is directly comparable to ISKA because both sanction world-level Muay Thai championships and certify officials, and both compete for global Muay Thai promoter relationships.
• WKF (World Karate Federation): WKF is the IOC-recognized international governing body for sport karate. It is directly comparable to ISKA in sanctioning karate championships, certifying officials, and serving as the recognized sanctioning authority for karate at global competitions.

Broad incumbents

• WBC (World Boxing Council): WBC is one of the four major professional boxing sanctioning bodies globally. It is comparable to ISKA as a sanctioning organization that awards world championship titles and certifies officials, though WBC operates as a much larger, more commercially mature incumbent in a single discipline (boxing).
• IBF (International Boxing Federation): IBF is one of the major professional boxing sanctioning bodies. It is comparable to ISKA in awarding world titles, enforcing unified rules, and certifying officials, though IBF operates at significantly larger commercial scale within a single discipline.
• WBO (World Boxing Organization): WBO is another major professional boxing sanctioning body, comparable to ISKA in title sanctioning, official certification, and championship oversight. WBO is a broader incumbent focused exclusively on professional boxing.

Emerging players

• Glory Kickboxing: Glory is a leading professional kickboxing promotion that operates its own sanctioning framework and world titles. It is comparable to ISKA because Glory and ISKA both award world kickboxing titles and certify officials, and Glory represents the type of vertically integrated competitor that could reduce reliance on ISKA sanctioning.
• ONE Championship: ONE Championship is a major Asian-headquartered combat sports promotion that operates its own sanctioning across MMA, Muay Thai, and kickboxing. It is comparable to ISKA in sanctioning championships across multiple combat sports disciplines, but operates at significantly larger commercial scale with integrated media rights.
• K-1 Japan: K-1 is a Japanese kickboxing promotion brand historically known for K-1 Rules tournaments. It is comparable to ISKA because K-1's rule set and brand have historically intersected with ISKA sanctioning, and both award kickboxing world championships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cory.schafer.5

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ISKA