Karate World Championships

The Karate World Championships, also known as the World Karate Championships, are the highest level of competition for karate organized by the World Karate Federation (WKF).^{[1][2][3][4][5]} The competition is held in a different city every two years.^[6] Championships in the 2000s included Madrid in 2002, Monterrey in 2004, Tampere in 2006, Tokyo in 2008, and Belgrade in 2010.^[7][8] The competition was initially riddled with controversy regarding karate styles and the ruleset.^{[2][9][10][11][12]}

Karate World Championships

Competition details
Discipline	Karate
Type	Kumite and Kata, biennial
Organiser	World Karate Federation (WKF)
Divisions
Current weight divisions	Male -60Kg,-67Kg, -75Kg, -84Kg and +84Kg. Female -50Kg, -55Kg, -61Kg, -68Kg and +68Kg.
History
First edition	1970 in Tokyo, Japan
Editions	26 (2023)
Final edition	2023 in Budapest, Hungary
Most wins	Japan (188 medals)

In 1980, women were first allowed to compete in the championships.^[9]

Competition and events

Kumite

• Individual kumite – men and women
• Team kumite – men and women

Kumite Rules

The result of a bout is determined by a contestant obtaining a clear lead of eight points, having the highest number of points at time-up, obtaining a decision (hantei ), or by an accumulation of prohibited behaviors imposed against a contestant.

Scoring & Penalties

• Ippon (three points)
  • Jodan (head, face, neck) kicks
  • Any scoring technique delivered on a thrown or fallen opponent
• Waza-ari (two points)
  • Chudan (abdomen, chest, back, side) kicks
• Yuko (one point)
  • Tsuki (punch)
  • Uchi (strike)
• Prohibited behavior
  • Category 1
    • Techniques which make excessive contact, in regards to the scoring area attacked, or make contact with the throat
    • Attacks to the arms or legs, groin, joints, or instep
    • Attacks to the face with open hand techniques
    • Dangerous or forbidden throwing techniques
  • Category 2
    • Feigning or exaggerating injury
    • Exit from the competition area (jogai ) not caused by the opponent
    • Self-endangerment by indulging in behavior which exposes the contestant to injury by the opponent, or failing to take adequate measures for self-protection (mubobi )
    • Avoiding combat as a means of preventing the opponent having the opportunity to score
    • Passivity – not attempting to engage in combat (cannot be given after less than the last 10 seconds of the match)
    • Clinching, wrestling, pushing, or standing chest-to-chest without attempting a scoring technique or takedown
    • Grabbing the opponent with both hands for any other reason than executing a takedown upon catching the opponent's kicking leg
    • Grabbing the opponent's arm or karategi (uniform) with one hand without immediately attempting a scoring technique or takedown
    • Techniques which, by their nature, cannot be controlled for the safety of the opponent, and other dangerous and uncontrolled attacks
    • Simulated attacks with the head, knees, or elbows
    • Talking to or goading the opponent
    • Failing to obey the orders of the referee
• Warnings and penalties
  • Chukoku is imposed for the first instance of a minor infraction in the applicable category.
  • Keikoku is imposed for the second instance of a minor infraction in that category, or for infractions not serious enough to merit hansoku-chui.
  • Hansoku-chui is a warning of disqualification usually imposed for infractions for which a keikoku has previously been given in that bout; it may be imposed directly for serious infringements which do not merit hansoku.
  • Hansoku is the penalty of disqualification following a very serious infraction or when a hansoku-chui has already been given. In team matches, the offender's score will be zeroed and the opponent's score will be set at eight points.
  • Shikkaku is a penalty of disqualification in which the offender is expelled from the entire tournament. Generally, it is given for particularly severe infringements, beyond that which would normally result in hansoku being given. In a team match, the offender’s score is set to zero, and the non-offender’s score is set to eight points, as with a normal hansoku.

Kata

• Individual kata – men and women
• Team kata (synchronized) – men and women
• Team kata with bunkai

Rules

^[13]

1. Conformity - with standards in form and style (Ryu-ha)

2. Technical performance:

• Techniques
• Stances
• Transitional movements
• Timing/Synchronisation
• Correct breathing
• Focus (Kime)
• Technical difficulty

3. Athletic performance:

• Strength
• Speed
• Balance
• Rhythm

4. Fouls:

• Minor loss of balance
• Performing a movement in an incorrect or incomplete manner
• Asynchronous movement
• Use of audible cues
• Belt coming loose
• Time wasting
• Cause injury in the execution of Bunkai

List of Karate World Championships

Edition	Year	Host City	Country	Events
1	1970	Tokyo	Japan	2
2	1972	Paris	France	2
3	1975	Long Beach	United States	2
4	1977	Tokyo	Japan	2
5	1980	Madrid	Spain	10
6	1982	Taipei	Taiwan	13
7	1984	Maastricht	Netherlands	13
8	1986	Sydney	Australia	15
9	1988	Cairo	Egypt	16
10	1990	Mexico City	Mexico	16
11	1992	Granada	Spain	16
12	1994	Kota Kinabalu	Malaysia	16
13	1996	Sun City	South Africa	17
14	1998	Rio de Janeiro	Brazil	17
15	2000	Munich	Germany	17
16	2002	Madrid	Spain	17
17	2004	Monterrey	Mexico	17
18	2006	Tampere	Finland	17
19	2008	Tokyo	Japan	17
20	2010	Belgrade	Serbia	16
21	2012	Paris	France	16
22	2014	Bremen	Germany	16
23	2016	Linz	Austria	16
24	2018	Madrid	Spain	16
25	2021	Dubai	United Arab Emirates	16
26	2023	Budapest	Hungary	16
27	2025	Cairo	Egypt	16

All-time gold medal table (1970-present)

The following reflects the all-time medal counts as of the 2023 World Karate Championships:

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Japan	98	55	61	214
2	France	58	45	71	174
3	Spain	24	32	75	131
4	Italy	21	38	67	126
5	Great Britain	13	0	0	13
	Turkey	13	0	0	13
7	Egypt	10	0	0	10
	Iran	10	0	0	10
	Netherlands	10	0	0	10
10	Azerbaijan	8	0	0	8
11	Germany	7	0	0	7
12	Serbia	6	0	0	6
13	Brazil	5	0	0	5
	United States	5	0	0	5
15	Venezuela	4	0	0	4
16	Croatia	3	0	0	3
	Finland	3	0	0	3
	Greece	3	0	0	3
	Russia	3	0	0	3
20	China	2	2	1	5
21	Georgia	2	0	1	3
22	Australia	2	0	0	2
	Austria	2	0	0	2
	Chile	2	0	0	2
	Mexico	2	0	0	2
	Serbia and Montenegro	2	0	0	2
27	Chinese Taipei	1	4	7	12
28	Vietnam	1	3	0	4
29	Benin	1	0	1	2
30	Estonia	1	0	0	1
	Jordan	1	0	0	1
	Netherlands Antilles	1	0	0	1
	Poland	1	0	0	1
	Senegal	1	0	0	1
	Slovakia	1	0	0	1
	South Africa	1	0	0	1
	Sweden	1	0	0	1
	Switzerland	1	0	0	1
	Uzbekistan	1	0	0	1
40	Hong Kong	0	1	2	3
Totals (40 entries)		331	180	286	797

See also

• Martial arts portal

• Asian Karate Championships
• European Karate Championships

References

1. Coleman, Jim (September 1992). "Questions and Answers with Wuko's Head Man". Black Belt Magazine. 30 (9). Active Interest Media: 30–33. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
2. "Black Belt". Active Interest Media. February 1974. p. 34. Retrieved 21 December 2014 – via Internet Archive. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
3. Malaysia welcome extra category. Thestar.com.my (2008-11-19). Retrieved on 2011-05-14, Archived from the original on October 18, 2012 on the Wayback Machine
4. Sports: Three fighters, one heart. Mike Camunas, March 7, 2008, Sptimes.com. Retrieved on 2011-05-14, Archived from the original on March 4, 2016 on the Wayback Machine.
5. Mmegi Online :: Karate team leaves for WFK Championships. Mmegi.bw (2010-10-22). Retrieved on 2011-05-14.
6. Olympic Bid Sports Capsules – Olympics – ESPN. Sports.espn.go.com (2009-06-14). Retrieved on 2011-05-14.
7. Vacoe, Fred (November 8, 2008). "World Karate Championships returning to Japan". Japan Today. Retrieved 2010-02-23.
8. "Karate World Championship to be Held in Belgrade Next Year". Ministry of Sport. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
9. "World Wide Tourneys". Black Belt Magazine. Active Interest Media. February 1974. p. 56. Retrieved 21 December 2014 – via Internet Archive.
10. Young, Jim (February 1974). "Contact Karate Tournaments, Will they separate the fighters from the actors?". Black Belt Magazine. Active Interest Media. p. 15. Retrieved 21 December 2014 – via Internet Archive.
11. "Poland holds first national karate meeting". Black Belt Magazine. Active Interest Media. February 1974. p. 12. Retrieved 21 December 2014 – via Internet Archive.
12. "Black Belt - Internet Archive". Internet Archive. February 1974. p. 12. Retrieved 2015-09-27. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
13. "Kata Rules. World Karate Federation". YouTube. 2016-04-08. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2020-05-24.

External links

• Official WKF site
• World Karate Federation Results
• Medal Table