The official presentation of the 2024 edition of the World Cadet, Junior & U21 Championships was held Wednesday in Venice. Hosted by FIJLKAM (Italian Federation of Judo, Wrestling, Karate and Martial Arts) at the headquarters of the Veneto Regional Council in Palazzo Ferro Fini in Venice, the event was attended by WKF President Antonio Espinós and many Karate stakeholders.

On the eve of the 2023 Karate 1-Youth League to be held this weekend in Venice, sports and regional authorities gathered to celebrate the tremendous popularity of Karate in Italy and the strength of the sport at young ages.

The presentation was headed by the FIJLKAM president Domenico Falcone and the Vice President of FIJLKAM, president of the Italian Federation’s Karate division and WKF Executive Committee member Davide Benetello. WKF President Antonio Espinós led the numerous representation of Karate officials at the event, including WKF Executive Committee member Davor Cipek, EKF Executive Committee member Geoff Russbacher, and Small States of Europe Karate Federation President Andreas Vasileiou.

The event was also attended by the President of #KarateVenice2024 Organising Committee Vladi Vardiero, and FIJLKAM General Secretary Benucci Massimiliano, and had the President of Culture, Sport and Tourism of the Veneto Region Francesca Scatto as main official.

WKF President Antonio Espinós addresses the audience at Palazzo Ferro Fini.

“In 2024, Jesolo will be the world’s capital of youth Karate when Veneto will host the age-group Karate World Championships. This is a tremendously prestigious competition, now in its 13th edition, which will project Veneto on a global level,” said Francesca Scatto, President of Culture, Sport and Tourism of the Veneto Region.

“The celebration of the event in Jesolo represents a great joy that goes hand in hand with a great sense of responsibility, which derives from the tremendous relevance of this event. A tournament of such magnitude has been missing in Italy since we hosted the European Championships in 2008, and never before has our country welcomed a World Championship. Therefore, our expectations are very high,” said FIJLKAM president Domenico Falcone. 

“We are thrilled to host the World Cadet, Junior & U21 Championships next year. It will continue the success of the Karate 1-Youth League in Venice-Jesolo which this year has gathered over 4000 competitors. The tournament will even have more relevance as it will be a qualifying event for the Youth Olympic Games to be held in Dakar (Senegal) in 2026. The championship also touches me from a personal point of view since, as a Venetian originally from Jesolo, I can guarantee the city’s unparalleled level of hospitality and infrastructure,” said FIJLKAM’s Karate division president and WKF Executive Committee member Davide Benetello.

FIJLKAM’s Karate division president and WKF Executive Committee member Davide Benetello explains the particularities of the event.

Meanwhile, WKF President Antonio Espinós said:

“We at the World Karate Federation are truly enthusiastic about this edition of the World Championships. I am convinced that we will find the best conditions here, with the full region at our side, the incomparable landscape, the organisation, the strength of Jesolo and the precious proximity of Venice. For these reasons, we are sure that we will achieve a record number of participants next year, as well as never-before-seen levels of competition and engagement from fans. The Italian Federation FIJLKAM, the Karate division of the federation, together with the local organising committee, represent three pillars that, with their many years of experience in organising Karate 1-Youth League events with thousands of participants, are a guarantee for the perfect execution of this event: they work professionally, they are very experienced, and in short, we could not have chosen a better candidate for hosting this event".

Venice-Jesolo will welcome the 13^th edition of the World Cadet, Junior & U21 Championships from October 9 to 13, 2024. The previous edition of the event was held in 2022 in Konya (Turkiye) with over 1700 athletes from 98 countries participating and Japan topping the final medal table.

(Top picture: From left to right WKF President Antonio Espinós, President of Culture, Sport and Tourism of the Veneto Region Francesca Scatto, FIJLKAM president Domenico Falcone and FIJLKAM’s Karate division president and WKF Executive Committee member Davide Benetello.

Karate officials pose after the presentation.

WKF President Antonio Espinós and FIJLKAM’s Karate division president and WKF Executive Committee member Davide Benetello.

From left to right: WKF Executive Committee member and EKF General Secretary Davor Cipek, FIJLKAM’s Karate division president and WKF Executive Committee member Davide Benetello, WKF President Antonio Espinós, FIJLKAM president Domenico Falcone, and President of #KarateVenice2024 Organising Committee Vladi Vardiero.

WKF President Antonio Espinós headed the numerous representation of Karate at the event.