Patrick O’Donovan, Ireland’s Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, is due to open the WAKO Cadets and Juniors World Championships ©Twitter

Patrick O’Donovan, Ireland’s Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, is due to open the World Associations of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO) Cadets and Juniors World Championships with action scheduled to begin in Dublin tomorrow.

The five-day competition, staged at Ireland’s capital’s Citywest Hotel and Convention Centre, is set to feature 51 nations from five continents.

"It means a lot for us that Minister Patrick O’Donovan is spending his valuable time with us," said Roy Baker, WAKO vice-president and President of Kickboxing Ireland.

"Kickboxing is contributing to Irish growth in general by bringing in nationalities from all over the world to our beautiful country."

WAKO will be keen to put on a good show in Dublin as the governing body is currently in the process of applying for International Olympic Committee recognition.

Competition at the WAKO Cadets and Juniors World Championships is due to begin tomorrow ©WAKO
Competition at the WAKO Cadets and Juniors World Championships is due to begin tomorrow ©WAKO

WAKO was founded in 1977 and has more than 120 affiliated countries with more than 50 per cent recognised by National Olympic Committees.

The body is recognised by SportAccord, the Alliance of Independent Recognised Members of Sport, the International World Games Association and the Olympic Council of Asia.

It is a member of the International Committee Fair Play Committee and is fully-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Agency.

WAKO is due to participate at the World Games in Wroclaw 2017 as an invitational sport.