WUMA British Championships 2026

WUMA BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIPS 2026
NATIONAL MARTIAL ARTS COMPETITION • WUMA LICENCED EVENT
OPEN TO WUMA MEMBERS & COMPETITION LICENCE HOLDERS

EVENT DATE: Sunday 15th February 2026
REGISTRATION CLOSES: Midnight Sunday 8th February 2026
VENUE: Leisure at Cheltenham, Tommy Taylors Lane, Cheltenham, GL50 4RN
DOORS OPEN: 11:00am

ELIGIBILITY
This is a WUMA licenced event and is open to WUMA members and approved competition licence holders only. Coaches with students and independent individuals outside WUMA may apply for an annual competition licence (£39 per year) to attend events without being full members. To apply, email info@wumawebsite.com
or visit www.wumawebsite.com/competiton-licence. All competitors must hold a valid WUMA licence (including competition licence members) at the time of entry.

DISCIPLINES & LEVELS
Disciplines:
• Kata demonstrations (non-competitive)
• Semi-Contact Points
• Light-Contact Continuous
Levels: Novice (under 1 year training or up to 3 competitions), Advanced, Masters

NOVICE DEFINITION (IMPORTANT)
In WUMA, a Novice is a participant with under one year total training experience or having competed in under three competitions. Time training is calculated from the date of their first ever martial arts lesson, with any breaks still included. Experience in any other combat sport (including boxing, kickboxing, BJJ or similar) counts towards overall experience. A competitor stops being a Novice once they reach one year of training or have competed in three competitions, whichever happens first, and must then compete in the Advanced category. Referees and officials reserve the right to move competitors out of Novice categories at their discretion.

REGISTRATION & FEES
Competitors must pre-register — no entries on the day. All registrations and tickets must be purchased via Kihapp. Competitor entry is £29.50 per category. Registration closes at midnight Sunday 8th February 2026 and no entries will be accepted after this deadline. Once registered, a QR code will be emailed and must be presented for entry; we strongly recommend printing or screenshotting this in advance. If you do not receive your QR ticket, please check your junk/spam folder. No ticket, no entry.
Spectators are advised to pre-register. On-the-door spectator tickets (if available) will be £5 extra.

HOTELS
For those travelling to the event, the following hotels are recommended:
Closest hotel (approximately 15-minute walk from venue):Holiday Inn Express Cheltenham Town Centre (IHG)
33 Dunalley Street, Cheltenham, GL50 4AP
Free parking option (approximately 7-minute drive from venue):Premier Inn Cheltenham North West
Tewkesbury Road, Cheltenham, GL51 9SL
WUMA is not affiliated with these hotels and competitors are responsible for their own bookings.

HEIGHTS / WEIGHTS / AGE CHECKS
All heights will be checked at the mat and all adult weights will be checked between 12:00pm and 2:00pm. All heights, weights, ages and categories must be correctly entered in Kihapp by the registration closing date. Everyone must match the category they have entered when checked on the day, and random checks will be conducted to ensure fairness. Competitors must enter the correct age category and under-18s cannot move up to adult categories under any circumstances. Competitors must be under their height or weight limit, as being exactly on the line or above places them in the wrong category. Natural height and weight must be used and weight cutting for mat-sport events is not permitted.

WRONG CATEGORY ENTRIES
Anyone found entered in the wrong weight, height, age or experience category without correcting it in Kihapp before registration closes, or without their coach informing officials before the start of the event, will be disqualified. If referees feel a competitor is too experienced for their entered category, they may be moved to a more appropriate category or disqualified at any point. It is the competitor’s responsibility to ensure their entry is correct.

CATEGORIES & DRAWS
Categories must have a minimum of two competitors to run. If this is not met, competitors will be moved to the nearest appropriate category and we are not required to contact competitors in advance if this occurs. Category draws will not be released prior to the event and will be displayed on arrival. Genuine errors (such as incorrect gender placement) must be raised by the coach with an official; competitors must not approach officials directly. This does not apply to being moved up a height or weight category due to lack of numbers. We reserve the right to amend categories at any time.

EVENT SCHEDULE (ESTIMATED)
Doors Open: 11:00am
Kata Demonstrations: 12:00pm
Under-18 Fighting: From 12:00pm (height measured at mat)
Adult Weigh-In: 12:00pm – 2:00pm
Adult Fighting: Estimated 2:30pm – 3:30pm start (subject to junior entry numbers)
Event Scheduled Finish: 7:30pm
Event format, running order, ring allocation and timings may be adjusted on the day at the discretion of the organisers to ensure the safe and smooth running of the event.

COACH ENTRY
Coaches must register via email at info@wumawebsite.com. Instructors/coaches bringing three or more pre-registered competitors may apply for one free coach entry per club. Additional coaches must purchase a spectator ticket (they will still be able to coach). Free coach entry applications will not be accepted until all competitors are registered.

COMPETITION MERCHANDISE
Official competition T-shirts and hoodies are available to pre-order during registration. These items are pre-order only and will not be available on the day.

CODE OF CONDUCT
All competitors, coaches and spectators must follow the WUMA Code of Conduct at all times. Breaches may result in removal from the event, bans from future WUMA events, and revocation of WUMA licence or affiliation.
The code of conduct document can be found under the information bar on this page.

RULES & SCORING
All Semi-Contact Points and Light-Contact Continuous divisions at this event are governed by the official W.U.M.A 2026 Points & Continuous Rules. These rules define contact levels, legal and illegal techniques, scoring, required equipment, bout format, coaching rules, disciplinary actions and complaints procedures. All competitors, coaches and spectators are expected to have read and understood these rules prior to attending. It is the responsibility of the competitor and coach to ensure all required protective equipment meets WUMA standards before competing. The official rules document can be found under the information bar on this page.

COMPETITOR DECLARATION
By registering, competitors confirm that all details entered are accurate and that they have selected the correct category. Competitors acknowledge that martial arts is a contact sport and accept full responsibility for any injury, loss or damage incurred. Competitors confirm they are medically fit to compete and have no condition that would make participation unsafe. WUMA, event organisers, officials, volunteers and venues shall not be held liable except where liability cannot be excluded by law. Competitors must hold a valid WUMA licence, consent to the use of image and video footage, understand all payments are non-refundable, and agree to follow the Code of Conduct. I confirm that I have read, understood and agree to compete under the W.U.M.A 2026 Points & Continuous Rules, and accept the authority of the referees, event medic and Chief Referee, whose decisions are final. For competitors under 18, registration must be completed by a parent or legal guardian who accepts responsibility on their behalf and confirms medical fitness.

SPECTATOR / COACH DECLARATION
By attending, spectators and coaches confirm the accuracy of their information, consent to image and video capture, agree to follow all rules and official instructions, and understand that failure to do so or causing disruption may result in removal without refund and permanent bans from WUMA events. All payments are non-refundable.

OFFICIAL WUMA NATIONAL RANKINGS
Competitors placing 1st, 2nd or 3rd in Advanced categories will receive official WUMA national ranking points for that height or weight class, published on the WUMA website. Only Advanced categories receive rankings. Rankings may only be earned for the entered weight class and one weight class above. If moved up due to lack of numbers, ranking points may be requested for the original weight class. Permanent weight class changes must be emailed to info@wumawebsite.com.

REFUND POLICY
All payments are non-refundable and non-transferable, including missed entries, inability to attend, withdrawals, injury, illness or Covid-19. Refunds will only be considered if a category starts after 7:30pm and the competitor cannot compete, or if the event is cancelled by the organisers. Refund requests must be made within 48 hours of the conclusion of the event to info@wumawebsite.com.

CONTACT
All enquiries relating to this event must be sent to info@wumawebsite.com.
This is the only official communication channel.
We aim to respond within 72 hours.