Overview
- Origin
- 1960s
- Category
- Combat
- Olympic discipline
- No
- Paralympic discipline
- No
- Central pathway
- Federation and state pathway
- Athlete profiles on SportSupport
- 1
Governance and status
Each field below is shown only where we hold a source for it; anything else reads “Not currently verified” rather than a guess. Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition is granted year by year, so it is only ever shown with the year it applies to. Last reviewed: September 2026.
- Indian governing/organising body
- WAKO India
- Ministry recognition
- WAKO India Kickboxing Federation — Annual recognition renewed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports; no 2026 order is published on the Ministry list — as at 2025Source: Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports — List of recognised National Sports Federations
- International federation
- Not currently verified
- Khelo India inclusion
- Not currently verified
- TOPS eligibility
- Not currently verified
- Olympic status
- Not on the Olympic programme
- Paralympic status
- Not a Paralympic discipline
Kickboxing is listed on SportSupport in the combat category. Its recorded origin is 1960s. It is not on the Olympic programme. We list WAKO India as the Indian governing/organising body for the sport.
Kickboxing has a federation and state-level pathway in India, and athletes selected through WAKO India may be eligible for state sports-quota employment and state cash awards where their state notifies the discipline. TOPS does not apply, as the discipline is outside the Olympic programme.
Scholarships & Funding
Central, state and private scholarships available for kickboxing athletes in India.
- Khelo India Talent Identification & Development (KITID)
Stipend, boarding, coaching and kit at accredited centres for talent identified through the Khelo India selection process (Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports). Applies only to disciplines on the official Khelo India Games list, and only to athletes it selects.
- National Sports Development Fund (NSDF)
Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports fund used to sponsor elite athletes' training, foreign coaches and equipment. Allocations are made case by case; we hold no record of NSDF support specific to kickboxing.
- Pension for Meritorious Sportspersons
Lifetime monthly pension for retired internationals who meet the scheme's medal criteria at Asian, Commonwealth or World Championship level — Government of India. Whether a given kickboxing event counts depends on the scheme's notified list.
- State sports quota and government employment
Many states reserve government and public-sector posts for national-level medallists. Which kickboxing events and which certifying bodies a state accepts varies by state, so check your state's current notification.
Indian Players
1 profilesRules
Kickboxing is contested in a ring or on a matted area across weight categories, with rounds of two to three minutes. WAKO recognises several distinct disciplines: point-fighting and light-contact, where scoring rewards controlled, accurate technique and heavy power is penalised; kick-light and full-contact, fought continuously with above-the-belt punches and kicks; low-kick, which adds kicks to the thigh; and K-1 style, which additionally permits knee strikes and limited clinch work. Full-contact and low-kick bouts also carry a minimum-kick requirement per round, so a fighter cannot simply box. Judges score strikes, ring control and technique, with a bout ending on points, knockout, technical knockout or disqualification. Elbows, strikes to the back of the head, and throws or grappling are fouls across all formats.
Authoritative rulebook: WAKO India. Age-group and school-level variations are published by SGFI and the state associations each season.
Positions
Typical roles across combat sports. These are category-level descriptions, not a sourced kickboxing squad list.
- Fighter / competitorContests bouts inside the ring, mat or cage in a set weight category.
- Corner / secondCoach in the corner during the bout — allowed to instruct between rounds.
- Referee & judgesOfficiate the bout, score rounds and enforce safety rules.
- Cutman / medicalManages cuts, swelling and immediate medical needs between rounds.
Equipment
Standard kit and infrastructure required to train and compete in kickboxing at a federation-recognised event.
- Boxing gloves (10oz-12oz depending on category) and hand wraps
- Foot protectors and shin guards for point-fighting and light-contact formats
- Mouthguard, groin guard and chest protector for women's categories
- Head guard for semi-contact, junior and light-contact divisions
- Approved uniform — long trousers for full-contact/low-kick, shorts for K-1 style
- Ring or 8m x 8m matted competition area with judges' scoring equipment
Governing/organising body
WAKO India Kickboxing Federation is the body we list as the Indian governing/organising body for Kickboxing. Its recognition status as we hold it: Annual recognition renewed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports; no 2026 order is published on the Ministry list (as at 2025). Recognition is granted year by year, so read the federation profile for the source.
- Origin
- 1960s
- Olympic
- No
- Paralympic
- No
- Category
- Combat
Major Indian Events
Domestic competitions we hold a source for in kickboxing.
- National Kickboxing Championships
Kickboxing in India is organized under multiple bodies with real, if overlapping, activity: WAKO India Kickboxing Federation (formerly the Indian Association of Kickboxing Organisations, formed 1993, headquartered in Odisha) was explicitly recognized by MYAS as the National Sports Federation on 2 July 2021 and runs the WAKO India Seniors and Masters National Championships (2025 edition saw Manipur top the medal table with 7 gold). A separately-operating Kickboxing Federation of India (KFI) has run its own numbered Senior/Junior/Sub-Junior Nationals since the 2000s — the same kind of multi-body overlap seen in several other Indian combat sports.
International Events
Continental and world-level competitions we hold a source for in kickboxing.
- Asian Kickboxing Championship
Shraddha Rangarh became the first Indian to win multiple medals at this event (two gold, two silver) in 2024, defeating rivals from Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.
- World Kickboxing Federation (WKF) events
KFI reports India has won 6 gold, 13 silver and 8 bronze medals across various WKF international events. At one World Championship in Italy, Tajamul Islam won a gold medal at age 8, becoming a widely-cited role model for junior kickboxers in India.
- Asian Martial Arts Games
Laxmi Tyagi won silver in the women's 52kg low-kick division in 2009.
Leagues
No dedicated professional league is currently catalogued for kickboxing. The national championship under WAKO India remains the top domestic competition.
All leagues →International Players
Globally recognised kickboxing athletes to know outside India.
The international federation for kickboxing maintains the current world ranking — check the federation site for the up-to-date top names.
Career Options
Ways to build a career in kickboxing — on the field, on the sidelines and behind the scenes.
- The sport has real regional strength in Northeast India — Manipur, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh consistently feature among top medal-winning states at National Championships
- Playing pathway through state associations affiliated to WAKO India or KFI feeding national and international selection
- Coaching and refereeing certification through WAKO India, which also runs regular training camps and referee seminars
Related academies
0 listedNo kickboxing academies are catalogued in the directory yet. Browse the full academy list or list your academy to appear here.
Government Schemes
1 listedCentral and state schemes that fund training, stipends and awards for kickboxing athletes and academies.
All government schemes →FAQs
Common questions about kickboxing in India.
Who governs Kickboxing in India?▾
We list WAKO India as the Indian governing/organising body for Kickboxing, and state associations affiliated to it run age-group and state-level competition. We hold no current-year Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition record for it, so this is not a statement that it is currently a recognised national sports federation — recognition is granted year by year.
Is Kickboxing an Olympic sport?▾
No, Kickboxing is not on the Olympic programme.
How do I start playing Kickboxing in India?▾
The usual routes are a school team under the School Games Federation of India (SGFI), a college team under the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), or a private academy affiliated to your state association under WAKO India. Age-group state championships follow from there.
What government schemes support Kickboxing athletes?▾
TOPS does not apply, as Kickboxing is outside the Olympic programme. State-government cash awards or sports-quota employment can apply where a state notifies the discipline, which varies by state. Kickboxing does not appear on the official Khelo India Games discipline list, so we make no Khelo India claim for it.
Kickboxing in every state & UT
Dedicated pages for Kickboxing in each Indian state and Union Territory — academies, schemes, athletes and how to start.
- Kickboxing in Andhra Pradesh
- Kickboxing in Arunachal Pradesh
- Kickboxing in Assam
- Kickboxing in Bihar
- Kickboxing in Chhattisgarh
- Kickboxing in Goa
- Kickboxing in Gujarat
- Kickboxing in Haryana
- Kickboxing in Himachal Pradesh
- Kickboxing in Jharkhand
- Kickboxing in Karnataka
- Kickboxing in Kerala
- Kickboxing in Madhya Pradesh
- Kickboxing in Maharashtra
- Kickboxing in Manipur
- Kickboxing in Meghalaya
- Kickboxing in Mizoram
- Kickboxing in Nagaland
- Kickboxing in Odisha
- Kickboxing in Punjab
- Kickboxing in Rajasthan
- Kickboxing in Sikkim
- Kickboxing in Tamil Nadu
- Kickboxing in Telangana
- Kickboxing in Tripura
- Kickboxing in Uttar Pradesh
- Kickboxing in Uttarakhand
- Kickboxing in West Bengal
- Kickboxing in Andaman & Nicobar Islands
- Kickboxing in Chandigarh
- Kickboxing in Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu
- Kickboxing in Delhi
- Kickboxing in Jammu & Kashmir
- Kickboxing in Ladakh
- Kickboxing in Lakshadweep
- Kickboxing in Puducherry