The series of meetings with national federations concluded Tuesday with the last set of gatherings with representatives of Karate national organisations. Delegates met with WKF President Antonio Espinós via videoconference in three sessions as the sport is getting ready to resume its activities.   

The series of meetings with national federations concluded Tuesday with the last set of gatherings with representatives of Karate national organisations. Delegates met with WKF President Antonio Espinós via videoconference in three sessions as the sport is getting ready to resume its activities.

The meeting served as an important opportunity for the WKF President to update stakeholders about the worldwide situation, the decisions taken by the WKF in the last months as well as the various measures that Karate’s international governing body is taking to protect the health and well-being of the Karate family considering the effects of the global coronavirus pandemic worldwide.

The first meeting of the day had representatives of French-speaking countries joining the discussions. Delegates from Burundi, French Polynesia, New Caledonia and Senegal participated in the gathering. The different levels of severity of the COVID-19 pandemic in the different countries, and the cooperation projects of the WKF to assist disadvantaged countries were reviewed.

Representatives from Africa, America and Asia participated in the second meeting of the day. National federations from Botswana, Canada, Curaçao, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Liberia, Namibia, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, and Zimbabwe, as well as WKF General Secretary Toshihisa Nagura joined the conversations. The progress of the sport in the post-coronavirus world and the celebration of upcoming events were analysed.

The intense day of meetings finished with the gathering of Spanish-speaking countries. Representatives from Bolivia, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Uruguay took the stage in the final session. Ways in which the different national federations can improve the level of the sport once the sport resumes were examined.

“I am very optimistic about our prospects. I believe that with required and obvious limitations notwithstanding, and while we wait for a prospective vaccine to be widely distributed, we will be able to host our events as scheduled,” said WKF President Antonio Espinós regarding the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in the sport.

“It is especially in these circumstances that our strong sense of solidarity and unity becomes even more important. If we work together, if we are all on the same page, as we are demonstrating in these meetings, then we can make the difference. The WKF will continue to support all the members of the Karate family who have shown tremendous strength and resilience in navigating these difficult times,” added the head of Karate’s international governing body.