Sault Ste. Marie has been selected to host the 2019 World Martial Arts Championship - Canadian Open next summer, marking the first time the event has been staged in Canada.
The championship, set to take place at the Essar Centre July 25-28 of next year, is sanctioned by the International Moo Moo Kwan Hap Ki Do Federation and will be hosted locally by Soo Dan Hap Ki Do Cornacchio’s Martial Arts Centre. The event, which will be staged with assistance from Tourism Sault Ste. Marie, will feature martial arts matches and demonstration teams from around the world.
“This tournament is just like a fulfillment of 45 years of work,” said grandmaster Peter Cornacchio, who has taught martial arts for more than four decades. “We’re currently affiliated with 44 countries around the world, and we’re hoping that through visas that we can bring most of them in and demonstrate their skills, because they are quite awesome."
Grandmaster Cornacchio and his wife, master Tracey Cornacchio, will serve as tournament chairs for the event.
“We’re dealing with olympic-style competition,” said master Tracey Cornacchio. “These athletes train years and years, some of them have trained all their life.”
“This is a world sanctioned event by the Moo Moo Kwan Hapkido Federation, so unlike other federations that don’t have a foundation, this is an organized martial art that’s been around for hundreds of years.”
Ticket information will be released in the coming months, according to a press release.