Türkiye to form 1st national savate team

ÇANKIRI

Türkiye is gearing up to shine on the European and world stages with a team of an emerging sport, savate, also known as French kickboxing, for the first time in its history.

Satılmış Kibaroğlu, the general coordinator of the Developing Sports Branches Federation’s savate division, expressed confidence that after forming the national team, they will successfully represent Türkiye in upcoming competitions.

Savate, a sport combining elements of kickboxing and boxing with a focus on footwork, gained official recognition in June last year when it was incorporated into the federation, with the first official Turkish championship being held in Çankırı from Feb. 5-9 this year.

According to Kibaroğlu, savate has been practiced in the country since 1999, however, it achieved a formal status after a long process of establishment.

He emphasized the importance of this milestone, saying, “Achieving official recognition means having the rights of a national federation, representing our country under the supervision of the state and guiding our youth from the streets into sports halls."

Following this development, they will form the national team with the athletes who excelled in the field. These athletes will participate in training camps before heading to global tournaments.

With around 1,000 athletes currently involved, they plan to expand this number to 8,000-10,000 within the next two months, Kibaroğlu pointed out.

After the national team's formation, development seminars, as well as coaching and referee courses, will follow suit, he added.

Noting that they currently work meticulously for all these objectives, Kibaroğlu underlined that savate is a sport for everyone — from young children to elderly people, as well as for those with disabilities.