Battle of Columbus (Martial Arts)
The Battle of Columbus/World Martial Arts Games, is the largest and oldest privately sponsored, open martial arts tournament in the Midwest United States. The Battle of Columbus was founded in 1976 by Grandmaster Joon Pyo Choi, in Columbus, Ohio and continues to be held annually at the Ohio Expo Center and State Fairgrounds in late March of each year. In 2008, it attracted nearly 1000 competitors from across the United States and around the world. The 2009 Battle of Columbus is planned for March 20 and 21.
Commonly referred to as BOC, this tournament is open to competitors of all ages and ranks. Martial arts commonly represented in the BOC include Taekwondo, Karate, Kung Fu, Hapkido, Jujitsu, Gumdo, Wushu, Tia chi, Sanshou, and Kimoodo. Specific competition types include Olympic and open style sparring, patterned self defense, team and synchronized forms, padded weapon sparring, poomse and kata.