The Hague martial arts day, a fine young tradition

On Saturday 21 December the Haagse Vechtsportdag (The Hague Martial Arts Day) took place for the third time at Topsportcampus Zuiderpark. This annual event is becoming a fine tradition.

Julian Huijsse and Jelle Pieper attended the promotional day for The Hague martial arts schools and clubs on behalf of the Vechtsportautoriteit. They saw workshops, clinics and seminars in kickboxing, muaythai, krav maga, Korean swordsmanship, judo, boxing, taekwondo and wrestling given by leading martial artists such as Regian Eersel and Dennis van der Geest. There was also a sparring day for young kickboxers.

The initiative Vuist tegen Discriminatie (Fist against Discrimination) The Hague 2024 was also launched at the Vechtsportdag. All parties involved signed a manifesto stating that they intend to make an active effort to counter discrimination. In addition to the municipality of The Hague and the Haags Vechtsport Collectief (The Hague Martial Arts Collective), the initiative was endorsed by the Nederlandse Vechtsportbond (Dutch Martial Arts Federation), the Nederlandse Boksbond (Dutch Boxing Federation) and the Nederlands Instituut voor Vechtsport en Maatschappij (Dutch Institute for Martial Arts and Society).

The Hague can look back on a good day. The city's martial arts schools and clubs were able to present themselves in an appealing way. The VA hopes that this young tradition will continue for a long time to come and that other municipalities will be inspired by it.