WKF Structure

Karate bright new future centre of discussion as top officials meet in Hamburg

2016-09-23

Karate bright new future centre of discussion as top officials meet in Hamburg

Two crucial WKF commissions met this week in Hamburg to discuss Karate’s exciting future and the progress of the ancient discipline. Under the direction of WKF President Antonio Espinós, top officials of the governing body discussed the development of Karate and planned the roadmap of the sport for its upcoming new challenges.

Two crucial WKF commissions met this week in Hamburg to discuss Karate’s exciting future and the progress of the ancient discipline. Under the direction of WKF President Antonio Espinós, top officials of the governing body discussed the development of Karate and planned the roadmap of the sport for its upcoming new challenges.

As Hamburg is getting ready to host the ninth event of the 2016 Karate 1-Premier League this weekend, the Tokyo 2020 Planning Commission and the Kumite Rules Commission were gathered in the German city in key talks to discuss the progress of Karate.  

The WKF’s strategic vision to drive the sport to make an impact in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games was top of the agenda. The intention of the sport's worldwide governing body is to further extend its evolution to meet the needs of Karate fans, TV and sponsors in the current groundbreaking moments in the history of the discipline.

Speaking after the meeting, WKF President Antonio Espinós said: “The WKF is driven by a strong vision for the future, as Karate has seen marked growth in relevance, popularity and revenue in the past years. It is our aim to continue having a competitive, effective and spectacular sport so Karate can further expand its continued success as we start approaching our milestone of the inclusion of Karate for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.”

In addition to Mr. Espinós, the meetings included the participation of WKF Secretary General Toshihisa Nagura; WKF Vice-President and Tokyo 2020 Planning Commission and Kumite Rules Commission chairman Gunnar Nordahl; WKF Vice-President & Sport Commissioner Francis Didier; WKF Executive Committee member and Athletes Commission Chairman Davide Benetello; Kumite Rules Commission member and TC Chairman Masao Kagawa, Kumite Rules Commission member Javier Escalante and WKF General Manager Francisco Alegrete. Also the WKF Executive Committee members Wolfgang Weigert, Stjepan Celan and Vincent Chen joined the meetings, invited by the President taking the opportunity of their presence in Hamburg.