April 5 - SportAccord is to launch a new event showcasing 13 marital arts and combat sports, including the four disciplines that are part of the Olympics, in Beijing later this year that will be organised by officials involved in organising the 2008 Games, it has been announced.


The SportsAccord Combat Games, which will take place between August 28 and September 4, will also use facilities built for Beijing 2008 and will feature boxing, judo, taekwondo and wrestling as well as non-Olympic sports aikido, ju-jitsu, karate, kendo, kickboxing, muaythai, sambo, sumo and wushu.

The event is the brainchild of Hein Verbruggen, who was the chairman of the International Olympic Committee's Coordination Commission for Beijing 2008 and is now the President of SportAccord, and has already $2.5 million (£1.6 million) in the sale of television rights.

He said: "What we offer going to China is a top event that is going to be very well organised.

"There will be no organisational problems so we can set the standard very high if we decide to do this again in two years."

Each sport will have 80 top athletes competing with qualifying standards set by the respective international federation.