Karate 1 Premier League calendar updated

The competition calendar of the 2021 Karate 1-Premier League has been updated due to the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. Istanbul replaces Baku as the host of one of the events of the 2021 Karate 1-Premier League, while the tournament in Lisbon is postponed to April.

The 2021 Karate 1-Premier League will start in Istanbul (Turkey) from March 12 to 14. The city in Turkey substitutes Baku as the venue since the tournament in the capital of Azerbaijan had to be cancelled amid the increasing restrictions imposed by the national government.

A communication from the Minister of Youth and Sport of the Republic of Azerbaijan informed the organisers of the cancellation of the event as the epidemic continues spreading in the country.

The tournament will now take place in Istanbul, one of the traditional venues of Karate 1-Premier League. The referee course which was initially scheduled to be held in Baku during the Karate 1-Premier League also moves to Istanbul in the same dates.

KARATE 1-PREMIER LEAGUE LISBON POSTPONED TO APRIL

As efforts to control de pandemic continue intensifying in Portugal, the Karate 1-Premier League Lisbon is postponed to April 30 to May 2. The decision to modify the dates of the event is taken in coordination with the local and national authorities to guarantee the safety of athletes and staff members.

The Karate 1-Premier League Lisbon will be the third stop of the season now after the events in Istanbul and Rabat. CLICK HERE to go to the updated WKF competition calendar.

"The wellbeing of the participants is our number one priority. In light of the recent developments of the pandemic, we have decided to modify the calendar to offer all the members of our family the right conditions to compete at our flagship event. All the athletes can be certain that we will do our best to guarantee their safety at our top competitions," said WKF President Antonio Espinós.

"I want to thank the organisers of the events in Lisbon and Istanbul: the Portuguese Karate Federation and its president Carlos Silva and the Turkish Karate Federation and its president Esat Delihasan, for their proactivity and their cooperation under these special circumstances. I am sure that with their collaboration, the 2021 Karate 1-Premier League will be a huge success," added the head of the WKF

As a service to our readers, Around the Rings will provide verbatim texts of selected press releases issued by Olympic-related organizations, federations, businesses and sponsors.

These press releases appear as sent to Around the Rings and are not edited for spelling, grammar or punctuation.

25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is www.aroundtherings.com, for subscribers only