Karate at the Summer Olympics

Karate at the Summer Olympics
IOC Discipline CodeKTE
Events8 (men: 4; women: 4)
Games
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Karate was first included in the Summer Olympic Games at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, Japan. After it was announced to not be included in 2024, in August 2022 it was announced that karate had made the shortlist for inclusion in the 2028 Games.

Olympic karate featured two types of events: Kumite and Kata. Sixty competitors from around the world competed in the Kumite competition, and twenty competed in the Kata competition. Both divisions of the competition were split 50/50 between men and women.

It is governed by the World Karate Federation (WKF).

Background

The effort to bring karate to the Olympics was begun in the 1970s by Jacques Delcourt. In 2009, in the 121st International Olympic Committee voting, karate did not receive the necessary two-thirds majority vote to become an Olympic sport. Karate was being considered for the 2020 Olympics, however at a meeting of the IOC's executive board, held in Russia on 29 May 2013, it was decided that karate (along with wushu and several non-martial arts) would not be considered for inclusion in 2020 at the IOC's 125th session in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in September 2013.

Bid for inclusion

In September 2015, karate was included in a shortlist along with baseball, softball, skateboarding, surfing, and sport climbing to be considered for inclusion in the 2020 Summer Olympics; and in June 2016, the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that they would support the proposal to include all of the shortlisted sports in the 2020 Games. Finally, on 3 August 2016, all five sports (counting baseball and softball together as one sport) were approved for inclusion in the 2020 Olympic program. Karate will not be included in the 2024 Olympic Games and karate has made the shortlist for inclusion, alongside nine others, in the 2028 Olympic Games.

Format and rules

The Olympic karate competition will put eight gold medals in dispute: six for the Kumite (fight) competition (with three weight categories for each sex) and two for the Kata (form) competition (one for each sex).

The main rules for Kumite and Kata competitions are as follows:

Kumite

Kumite

The individual tournament for the Kumite competition at the World Karate Federation (WKF) Karate World Championships is held under a weight class system comprising five divisions each for both men and women. However, the Kumite competition at the Summer Olympics will consist of just three divisions each, thus:

  • Weight classes for men: −67 kg, −75 kg, +75 kg
  • Weight classes for women: −55 kg, −61 kg, +61 kg

Kumite rules

All Kumite bouts are semi-contact, meaning all strikes delivered cannot use full force. Striking an opponent with full force can result in a warning or disqualification. In any category, fights last for up to three timed minutes (i.e. the clock stops every time the referee says yame). During that period, the winner is considered to be the karateka who scores eight points more than their adversary. If this does not happen, the person with more points at the end of the fight is the winner. If the fight ends up tied, a decision will be given through the senshu rule: the contestant that scored the first unopposed point wins.

Assignment of points

Points are earned as follows:

  • Ippon (three points): for hitting the head or neck of the opponent with a kick, or when any technique is applied to a fallen adversary.
  • Waza-ari (two points): for applying a kick to the belly, side, back or torso of the opponent.
  • Yuko (one point): for delivering a punch with closed hand (tsuki) or strike (uchi) to the head, neck, belly, side, back or torso of the opponent.

Strikes below the belt are strictly forbidden and strength must always be controlled as the fighter will receive a warning if they hurt their opponent, points may be lost or there may even be a disqualification if the resulting injury is severe. Knocking an opponent down to the floor without at least attempting to strike them is also liable to be punished.[clarification needed]

Warning levels:

  • Chukoku (first warning): for committing a minor infraction for the first time.
  • Keikoku (second warning): for the same minor infraction, or for committing a medium infraction for the first time.
  • Hansoku-chui (third warning): for committing the same minor infraction for the third time, the same medium infraction for a second time, or for committing a major infraction for the first time (usually excessive contact to vital parts or below the belt, really hurting the opponent).
  • Hansoku (fourth and final warning): inflicting serious damage on the team score as a whole. The victory is given to the opponent.

Warnings and punishments are divided into two different categories, the first being for excessive and/or illegal contact and the other for technical violations, such as leaving the koto (fighting space) or faking an injury in order to make the referee give the opponent a warning.

Kata

Competitors are judged on the power and correctness of their techniques. Under conventional competition rules, one competitor is assigned a blue belt and the other a red belt, and each takes a turn in demonstrating their kata. The outcome of the competition is determined under a flag system, where five judges who each have a blue flag and a red flag raise either to signal which competitor, they believe, won: the one with more flags raised in their favour is declared the winner. However discussions are still ongoing into the judging system, including whether to use a scoring system rather than the flag system.[citation needed]

Due to the large number of karate styles, each with its own katas, only katas from the styles recognized by the WKF (Gōjū-ryū, Shitō-ryū, Shotokan and Wadō-ryū) are allowed in the Olympics. The lack of representation of other karate styles in the kata competition has generated criticism from practitioners of these styles.

Medalists

Karate 75 kg awarding ceremony

Medal table

Sources:

  *   Host nation (Japan)

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 Japan (JPN)*1113
2 Spain (ESP)1102
3 Egypt (EGY)1012
 Italy (ITA)1012
5 Bulgaria (BUL)1001
 France (FRA)1001
 Iran (IRI)1001
 Serbia (SRB)1001
9 Azerbaijan (AZE)0202
10 Turkey (TUR)0134
11 China (CHN)0112
 Ukraine (UKR)0112
13 Saudi Arabia (KSA)0101
14 Kazakhstan (KAZ)0022
15 Austria (AUT)0011
 Chinese Taipei (TPE)0011
 Hong Kong (HKG)0011
 Hungary (HUN)0011
 Jordan (JOR)0011
 United States (USA)0011
Totals (20 entries)881632

Men

Event Gold Silver Bronze
Kata
details
Ryo Kiyuna
 Japan
Damián Quintero
 Spain
Ariel Torres
 United States
Ali Sofuoğlu
 Turkey
67 kg
details
Steven Da Costa
 France
Eray Şamdan
 Turkey
Darkhan Assadilov
 Kazakhstan
Abdelrahman Al-Masatfa
 Jordan
75 kg
details
Luigi Busà
 Italy
Rafael Aghayev
 Azerbaijan
Gábor Hárspataki
 Hungary
Stanislav Horuna
 Ukraine
+75 kg
details
Sajjad Ganjzadeh
 Iran
Tareg Hamedi
 Saudi Arabia
Ryutaro Araga
 Japan
Uğur Aktaş
 Turkey

Women

Event Gold Silver Bronze
Kata
details
Sandra Sánchez
 Spain
Kiyou Shimizu
 Japan
Grace Lau
 Hong Kong
Viviana Bottaro
 Italy
55 kg
details
Ivet Goranova
 Bulgaria
Anzhelika Terliuga
 Ukraine
Bettina Plank
 Austria
Wen Tzu-yun
 Chinese Taipei
61 kg
details
Jovana Preković
 Serbia
Yin Xiaoyan
 China
Giana Farouk
 Egypt
Merve Çoban
 Turkey
+61 kg
details
Feryal Abdelaziz
 Egypt
Irina Zaretska
 Azerbaijan
Gong Li
 China
Sofya Berultseva
 Kazakhstan

This page was last updated at 2023-10-15 06:11 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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