Written by World Karate Federation
Thousands of Karate fans have taken to the streets these past months to celebrate their passion for the sport and to demonstrate that Karate keeps changing lives all around the world.
Joined by their karate-gis, their belts of all colours and their defence of the many Karate values, karatekas have commemorated the universality and popularity of the discipline in the many celebrations of the "National Karate Day". The festivals of Karate’s unity which have been taking place in dozens of countries reached their highlight this past weekend in the massive World Karate Day.
The city of Munich in Germany was the stage where Karate showcased its identity and notoriety. Nearly two thousand karatekas of all ages, conditions and backgrounds gathered in the German city to participate in the World Karate Day. The event was organised by the World Karate Federation and the German Karate Federation as a way to state the support that the discipline receives worldwide, and also to honour Karate’s upcoming Olympic debut.
"We are really committed to keeping on working hard for the million of athletes we have around the world. I am sure that we will be able through this commitment and hard work to give all of you the best conditions to further enjoy the best moment of our sport ever," said WKF President Antonio Espinós.
"Events such as this World Karate Day not only show our strength but also prove that all the Karate family is united as we are ready to make our Olympic dream come true," added Mr. Espinós.
The event in Munich had as main feature the training sessions, in which Karate fans had the opportunity to interact with first-class athletes and legends of the sport such as World champions Alisa Buchinger, Ayumi Uekusa, Amir Mehdizadeh and Ryutaro Araga, and former World title holders such as Luca Valdesi, among others. A competition of Germany vs The World and demonstrations of Para-Karate, Karate for veterans and Karate for children also were held at the memorable day.
Karate takes the world with "National Karate Day"
As an anticipation of the World Karate Day, national federations have been organising their National Karate days over the last few months.
The celebrations started in March when a thousand karatekas gathered in a massive event which was held in the city of Goa in India. Karate athletes travelled from all over the country to proclaim their enthusiasm for the ancient discipline, as diverse activities were held throughout the spirited National Karate Day. In addition to the large concurrence of Karatekas, over 500 referees and officials also took part in the festivities.
On April 30th, over 400 karatekas from 40 teams participated in the National Karate Day in the Czech Republic. The event took place in Ceske Budejovice, and it gathered fans from the eastern European country and also from Germany, Hungary, Austria, Poland and Slovakia.
As a demonstration of the universality of Karate which has been exhibited in events at the five corners of the world, nearly a hundred karatekas participated in the National Karate Day in Fiji. The event which was held in the city of Suva in May coincided with Karate Fiji’s annual Opening Season Championship, and it was taken as an opportunity to promote the sport in Oceania.
The impact of Karate worldwide was also stated in the Karate Day event in Chinese-Taipei. The activity was held during the national championships, and it honoured the practice of the ancient discipline in the Asian nation.
Meanwhile, in Slovakia over 600 young karatekas expressed their delight for Karate’s inclusion in the programmes of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 in the event which was held in the city of Košice. Participants formed the Olympic rings as one of the many activities of the celebration.
In Switzerland, nearly a thousand competitors gathered to show their support to the discipline in another National Karate Day. The main highlight of the day featured over 150 young karatekas from under 12 and under 14 categories who wore coloured hats to create the five Olympic rings.
A crowded shopping mall in the city of Podgorica in Montenegro was the stage where the National Karate Day in the European country took place. Young karatekas demonstrated their abilities with Kata performances and showed their hopes ahead of Karate’s Olympic debut.
As National Karate Days continue being celebrated, these displays of Karate’s popularity together with the increasing participation of competitors in WKF main events evidence Karate’s constant evolution and further confirm the influence of the sport around the world.
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