Greece to host kick boxing \"Olympics\"

Greece will host here the K-1 World Max 2012 Final 8, the top stage of the kick boxing sports event worldwide, on Saturday. The best eight kick boxing athletes in the world, who succeeded in the semifinals in May, have arrived in Greece to claim the belt of the world champion at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex (OAKA), the main venue of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. Founded in 1993 in Japan, K-1 refers to the initial letter of the words karate, kick boxing and kung fu and the unique position of the world champion, production manager Isaiah Mitsuyoshi from Japan, explained during a press conference in Athens on Friday. Speaking in Greek, Mitsuyoshi expressed the organization\'s joy for holding the grand final in Greece amid the acute debt crisis which has hit the country, in a message of support to Greek peoples. The event is held under the auspices of Greece\'s National Organization of Tourism, as Greek hosts hope that the K-1 World Max 2012 Final 8 will send the world a positive image of a country fighting to overcome current challenges. Millions of people across the world, including China, will watch through live broadcast the grand final of the most significant kick boxing tournament globally. \"I am very glad that I and my team managed to win through our professionalism and our history the organizers\' trust so that the grand final will be held in Athens,\" said Michalis (Mike) Zambidis, 13 times champion and the only Greek athlete among the eight finalists. \"We would also like to thank the organizers for taking into account Greece\'s financial difficulties and keeping the cost of tickets low so that all people can attend the event,\" he added. Ticket prices start from 20 euros (26.16 U.S. dollars) for the event. Japanese athlete Kido Yasuhiro, one of the eight finalists competing for the big title as well, in his first visit to Greece, sent a message of optimism to Greeks and citizens of the world. \"My motto is to have a smile. Just have a smile. That\'s why I came here to bring a smile. A smile can bring the world peace,\" he said. \"I am very happy to come to the birth place of the Olympic games to compete in the big event. My opponent Abraham Roquine is a talented fighter. I will do my best and confident of defeating him,\" Chinese boxer Xu Yan said. Xu is participating in the reserve fight. He is one of the candidates to compete in the finals in case of injury of one of the eight finalists. The goal of K-1 is to inspire young people to adapt sports and martial arts in their daily routine, by presenting the top athletes worldwide, such as Mike Zambidis, Kido Yasuhiro and Xu Yan, in matches rich in energy and action.