The best karatekas in Asia will fight for gold at the 2023 AKF Senior Championships to be held in Melaka (Malaysia) from July 21 to 23.

This is all you need to know about the anticipated continental championships.

WHAT

• The 2023 AKF Senior Championships are the biggest Karate event in the continent. The event to be held in Melaka will crown the new continental champions.
• Held every year, the AKF Senior Championships gathers the best Karate athletes in Asia in an event of unprecedented sporting spirit.
• The AKF Senior Championships in Melaka recovers the traditional format of continental championships for senior divisions after the unification of Senior and underage categories in the two previous editions.
• The last edition of the continental championships was held last year in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) and it gathered all Senior, Cadet, Junior, and U21 categories.

WHERE

• The event will take place in Melaka (Malaysia), at the Melaka International Trade Centre Ayer Keroh.
• Located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, Melaka is a state in Malaysia. Its capital is Malacca city.
• Malaysia are a powerhouse nation of the sport in the region and have hosted major international events over the years including the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, the 2007 Asian Senior Championships in Seremban, the 2014 AKF Cadet and Junior Championships in Kuala Lumpur, or most notably, the 2011 World Cadet, Junior & U21 Championships also in Melaka, among others.   

WHEN

• The tournament is scheduled for July 21 to 23.
• Starting on Friday, at 09:00 (local time GMT +8), the competition will continue throughout the weekend until Sunday.
• The finals will be held at the end of each competition day.
• CLICK HERE to go to the full competition calendar.

WHO

• Nearly 400 athletes from 31 countries have registered to participate in the event.
• This tally improves the registration number of the last edition of the Senior-only Championships in 2019 and, which had 377 athletes from 31 countries participating.
• The powerhouse nation of Iran presents the largest delegation in Melaka with 26 athletes, followed by Thailand and Japan with 24 and 23 competitors respectively.
• Japan topped the medal table of the last edition of the continental championships with 13 medals including eight golds. Jordan and Kazakhstan also performed at a high level with seven and eight medals respectively.
• A host of Olympians will participate in Melaka, including Olympic Games champion Sajad Ganjzadeh (Iran), Olympic Games silver medallists Kiyou Shimizu (Japan) and Tareq Hamedi (Saudi Arabia), Olympic Games bronze medallists Mo Sheung Grace Lau (Hong Kong), Sofya Berultseva (Kazakhstan), Li Gong (China), and Abdel Rahman Almasatfa (Jordan), and Olympians Sara Bahmanyar of Iran, Moldir Zhangbyrbay of Kazakhstan, Heejun Park of Korea, and Nurkanat Azhikanov of Kazakhstan  

HOW

• The competition follows a knockout format.
• The event comprises 17 categories, in the senior competition, and seven categories in the Para-Karate event.

WHAT ELSE

• The event in Melaka marks the second time that a continental Para-Karate Championships will be held in Asia, following the success of the inaugural edition last year.

2023 AKF SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS