The second event of the season of the Karate 1-Premier League will be held in Hangzhou (China) from March 14 to 16. After the successful opening event in Paris, the best Karate athletes in the world travel to China for a highly anticipated tournament in China.

WHAT

• The Karate 1-Premier League is the top international Karate competition, gathering the best Karate athletes in the world.
• The Karate 1-Premier League Hangzhou is the second tournament of the 2025 season of Karate’s first-class series of events.   
• The 2025 season began in Paris (France).  After the event in Hangzhou, the Karate 1-Premier League will travel to Cairo (Egypt) from April 18 to 20, and Rabat (Morocco) from May 30 to April 1.
  

WHERE

• The tournament takes place at the Sports Centre Gymnasium Linping District in Hangzhou
• The event marks the return of Karate’s biggest series of events to China. The first Karate 1-Premier League in China was held in Shanghai in 2019 and was a milestone for the sport in the country.

• Since 2019, China has continued to host major karate tournaments. In 2024, Hangzhou welcomed the AKF Senior Championships. The city also successfully staged the 2022 Asian Games, where karate was a standout event.
• Looking ahead, China will once again be in the global karate spotlight as it hosts The World Games in Chengdu later this year. The AKF Cadet, Junior & U21 Championships will also be held in China, with the tournament travelling to Guangzhou in September.
  

WHEN

• The event is scheduled from March 14 to 16.     
• The eliminations will be held on Friday and Saturday (from 09.00 to 20.30 local time, GMT+8).
• The Finals and bronze medal bouts are scheduled for Sunday, in two sessions, from 10.00 to 14.00 and from 15.00 to 19.00
• CLICK HERE to go to the full competition programme.

WHO

• Nearly 400 athletes from 68 countries have registered to participate in the event. Nearly all the categories are full to completion of the allowed number of athletes
• The birth nation of the sport Japan presents the largest delegation in Hangzhou, with 30 athletes. Powerhouse nations of Italy, with 29 athletes, and France and Turkiye both with 21 athletes also present large delegations in Hangzhou.     
  

HOW

• The competition follows a round-robin format in the eliminations. The quarterfinals, semi-finals, and medal bouts follow a knockout system.
  
  

WHAT ELSE

• The Karate 1-Premier League Hangzhou will be crucial in the quest to proclaim the Grand Winners.
• The Grand Winners Award distinguishes the best of the best in each category at the end of the season of Karate 1-Premier League.
• After one event, a host of defending Grand Winners keep the top position in the race to the Grand Winners Awards, including Maho Ono (JPN) in Female Kata, Maria Torres (ESP) in Female Kumite +68kg, Kakeru Nishiyama (JPN) in Male Kata, Abdalla Abdelaziz (EGY) in Male Kumite -75kg, Youssef Badawy (EGY) in Male Kumite -84kg and Taha Tarek Mahmoud (EGY) in Male Kumite +84kg.
• Learn who are the Grand Winners HERE  

WATCH IT LIVE!

• The eliminations, quarterfinals, and semifinals are available LIVE on the WKF YouTube channel. CLICK HERE to go to the WKF YouTube channel.  
• The Bronze medal bouts and Finals on Sunday are available on a number of TV networks and platforms around the world. CLICK HERE to access the full list of TV providers and platforms.
• The Bronze medal bouts and Finals will also be available on the WKF YouTube channel in those countries without TV broadcasts.
• The Official Draw of the competition will be available by streaming on the WKF YouTube channel on Thursday, March 13 at 19.00 (GMT +8). CLICK HERE to go to the WKF YouTube channel.

2025 KARATE 1-PREMIER LEAGUEHANGZHOU