Bristol based club, Team Bristol / GB Fit have had three young fighters selected to represent Great Britain in this year's WAKO (World Association of Kickboxing Organisations) Kickboxing World Championships. The championships take place in Venice in September.

The fighters, aged from 11 to 13, all train with Team Bristol coaches Sharon Gill and Sean Viera, 5 to 6 times per week, devoting much of their spare time to their chosen sport. While their school friends are playing video games and relaxing, these young athletes are often training, as well as supporting other members in the club, as part of their commitment to kickboxing.

The Team Bristol fighters representing Great Britain are:

Jack Sowersby, 10-12yrs, -32kg

Jasmine Marks, 10-12yrs, -32kg

Liam Holden, 13-15yrs, -42kg

All of them will be working even harder than usual leading up to the World Championships. However, there is no funding for our sport and it is up to the athletes and their families to fund this amazing opportunity.

They all compete regularly on the UK competition circuit, as well as traveling internationally in order to compete against the world's top fighters in their divisions in places like Croatia and Milan. The costs of this quickly add up. The cost for each athlete to attend the World Championships is £845. We are hoping to raise £2000 to help give these young fighters the opportunity to represent their country and bring some gold medals back to Bristol!