Karate goes back to the tatami next week at the 2021 Karate 1-Premier League Istanbul.

Karate goes back to the tatami next week at the 2021 Karate 1-Premier League Istanbul. After one year of hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, the best karatekas in the world return to activity next week in the opening tournament of the season.

The city of Istanbul in Turkey will become Karate’s capital from March 12 to 14 as the first international event after the pandemic outbreak will take place there. Expectations are running high among the whole Karate family since the wait is finally over. The last international competition took place in Salzburg (Austria) from February 28 to March 01, 2020.

Nearly 600 karatekas from 72 countries are registered to participate in the event. Seven Grand Winners including local star Serap Ozcelik Arapoglu and World title-holders Sandra Sanchez of Spain and Irina Zaretska of Azerbaijan and no less than nine World champions such as Jonathan Horne of Germany and Bahman Asgari Ghoncheh of Iran have confirmed their presence in Istanbul.  

Held at the WOW Hotel Convention Centre in Istanbul, the tournament will be celebrated following the WKF COVID-19 Protocol and the local regulations to ensure the safety of all the participants. CLICK HERE to know more about WKF COVID-19 Protocol.

The tournament is scheduled to start on Friday, March 12 at 9:00 (local time). The finals are slated for Sunday, March 14 from 15:00 (local time). The event will be available to a worldwide viewing audience on many TV networks covering 222 countries and territories around the world. CLICK HERE to check the list of countries and TV providers.

Istanbul is hosting the Karate 1-Premier League for the seventh time. The last time that the Turkish city welcomed Karate’s biggest event was in 2018. Iran topped the medal table with three golds followed by Japan and Turkey both with two gold medals. Sara Cardin of Italy, Ryo Kiyuna of Japan and Stanislav Horuna of Ukraine were among the stars crowned at the 2018 Karate 1-Premier League Istanbul.

CLICK HERE to go to the Karate 1-Premier League Istanbul micro-site.