The World Karate Federation Athletes Commission gathered in Umag (Croatia) for a groundbreaking meeting to discuss the future of Karate. The pathway to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the adaptation of the new competition rules were at the top of the agenda of the two-day meeting. 

The World Karate Federation Athletes Commission gathered in Umag (Croatia) for a groundbreaking meeting to discuss the future of Karate. The pathway to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the adaptation of the new competition rules were at the top of the agenda of the two-day meeting. 

The body that safeguards athletes’ interests met for the first time after the new elections of members which took place in October. The meeting was headed by chairman Davide Benetello, and had the participation of all the members of the Commission: Brazil’s Douglas Brose, Antonio Diaz of Venezuela, Nguyen Hoang Nan of Vietnam, Greece’s Vassiliki Panetsidou and Ryo Kiyuna of Japan. 

The commission discussed the proposals for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 qualification system. The intention of the representatives of all the Karatekas in the world was to bring together a number of initiatives in order to present the athletes’ standpoint to the WKF Olympic Planning Commission. The application of the ranking in the Olympic quest and the athletes’ views on the improved kata rules were also analysed. 

“We tried to give as much input as possible to the other commissions because as our President Mr. Antonio Espinós said, the athletes’ opinion will play a crucial role in the discussions. We tried to go as deep as possible in our proposals since we wanted to give the best ideas for the progress of Karate,” said WKF Athletes Commission Chairman Davide Benetello. “We are very satisfied with the meetings; after being joined by the three new members (Mrs. Nan, Mrs. Panetsidou and Mr. Kiyuna) we can conclude that we have a great commission. The members are not just great champions but also brilliant and caring individuals,” Mr. Benetello added. 

“The meeting of the Athletes Commission is yet another sign of the WKF’s determination to find the optimum solutions for karatekas around the world. It is our intention to work together to put Karate in the right direction, and in this sense, athletes’ opinions are highly regarded. Their cooperation is essential as we are taking steps to streamline our efforts on the road to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018,” said WKF President Antonio Espinós.