In Irkutsk, the anniversary 5th Combat Marathon 10,000 bouts Banzai WEEK END was held, bringing together over 200 athletes aged 12 to 60 from seven martial arts federations. In one day, participants held 7960 bouts, and organizers said the marathon helps develop martial arts, strengthen sports spirit, and promote a healthy lifestyle.

From September 8 to 9, 2012, the anniversary V Combat Marathon “10,000 Fights” “Banzai WEEK END” was held on the square near the monument to Alexander III.
The event was organized by the Department of Physical Culture, Sports and Youth Policy of the Administration of Irkutsk, together with the Kyokushinkai Federation of the Irkutsk Region and the Irkutsk branch of the Russian Martial Arts Union.
“Today we are holding an anniversary martial arts marathon,” said Dmitry Abramovich, Head of the Department of Physical Culture, Sports and Youth Policy of the Administration of Irkutsk. “Year after year, the number of marathon participants increases, which speaks to the professional growth and willpower of the participants. Over the entire history of the marathon, 2010 was the record year; then, over 24 hours, the fighters held a total of 11,422 bouts — this result was recorded by the Russian Records association. The marathon popularizes and develops various types of martial arts among young people, children, and adults, raises the sporting level of the participants’ skills and their moral and volitional qualities, promotes a healthy lifestyle, and develops and strengthens ties between various martial arts federations.”
More than 200 top athletes aged 12 to 60 from 7 martial arts and combat sports federations of the Irkutsk Region, Buryatia, and Krasnoyarsk Krai took part in the fifth combat marathon. Over the course of 24 hours, they held 7,960 bouts.
According to Alexander Klassen, President of the Kyokushinkai Federation of the Irkutsk Region, taking part in the marathon is a challenge for every athlete. “More than 100 fights in 24 hours is far from easy to endure,” said Alexander Vasilyevich. “And if an athlete manages to reach the finish and realize that he has won, first and foremost, against himself, then that is the most important thing in any sport.”
Based on materials from the press service of the Administration of the city of Irkutsk