Syrian referee Khaled Al-Hajji has obtained the international (A) classification in kickboxing, which is the highest global refereeing rank in the sport, during his participation in the World Cup held in Uzbekistan on October 12. This achievement marks a significant leap in the career of the 46-year-old Al-Hajji and adds to the record of Syrian cadres in this sporting field.
Al-Hajji began his sports career as a kickboxing player at the age of seventeen, before transitioning to refereeing in 2015. He progressed through local and Arab levels to reach the international level. He obtained the (C) grade from the World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (WAKO) in 2024, followed by the (B) grade in 2025.
Al-Hajji explained that reaching the international classification requires considerable effort and continuity in work through participating in three to four international tournaments annually, in addition to mastering the English language. He noted that promotion between grades is subject to written exams, with the importance of attendance and participation in tournaments.
For his part, Al-Hajji emphasized the importance of continuing to hold training courses in more than one governorate to hone and prepare more referees and transfer expertise to those wishing to elevate their level. He pointed out that this contributes to enhancing the international presence of Syrian refereeing, which gives national teams additional weight and limits refereeing errors.
In the same context, the Syrian national kickboxing team achieved six medals at the World Cup, which concluded in Uzbekistan on the 18th of the month, including one gold, one silver, and four bronze medals.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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