Nathan's WAKO World Championships

Qualifying for the Irish kickboxing team has been a dream for Nathan Ó Cróinín ever since he started the sport at age 6 back in 2017. After 7 hard years of training he has been fortunate to get his opportunity to put on the green uniform for Ireland and represent his club and his country at the WAKO World Championships in Budapest, Hungary at the end of August. Through the long-term support and mentoring from his coaches Ian Kingston and Tony Stephenson he has developed his skills and is now ready to take a huge step forward competing at the highest level. He joins 4 other experienced fighters from his club West Cork Kickboxing and they will fly out together on the 23rd of August as a team hoping to bring back silverware, new experiences and memories to share with their families and friends back home.

There is significant cost associated with the trip and the onus is very much on the family to fund travel, accommodation, fight gear, extra training camps etc. There is no funding available from Sports Ireland or any of the other funding bodies. The cost of such a trip will run into the thousands of euros. A few people we spoke to suggested that we should consider trying a gofundme for help with the cost. So here we are! We are looking to family and friends to help Nathan to chase his dream. Any help big or small would be hugely appreciated by both Nathan and his family. We hope this is the first big step on a long and successful journey!