Karate’s absence from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games shocked fans, athletes, and the worldwide sports community. Now that the Games are over, it is clear that its exclusion from the Paris 2024 Games comes even as a greater surprise given the successful debut of the sport in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where it captured the hearts of millions.

A study conducted by the Institute for Research and Information in Social Science (IRIS) revealed that karate achieved a net reach audience of 48.4 million spectators across 19 analysed markets during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. IRIS, a market-leading research agency, deemed this reach a “success,” underscoring karate’s ability to attract and engage a diverse and global audience, in its first Olympic appearance.

Further supporting karate’s strong performance in the Olympics, a study by Publicis Sport & Entertainment (PSE) placed karate in the median of all Olympic sports during the Tokyo 2020 Games in terms of average audience and consideration of favourite sport among the general public in 83 territories. Additionally, the study highlighted that karate performed better than the average of all the Olympic sports during the Tokyo Games in terms of internet searches and consideration as a favourite sport among younger audiences, demonstrating its appeal to the next generation of sports fans.

Lastly, a comprehensive study by Nielsen Sports commissioned by the WKF highlighted that karate outperformed other martial arts Olympic disciplines in key markets such as France, the United States, and Japan. The sport not only attracted a higher number of core and interested fans during the 2020 Olympic Games but also recorded a higher average audience per broadcast in these regions, further proving its potential as a standout Olympic sport.

In light of karate's remarkable success at the Tokyo 2020 Games, where several studies underscored its strong viewership and global appeal, the decision to exclude karate from the Paris 2024 Games has been even more perplexing, even more so, as this exclusion came before the sport had the chance to fully demonstrate its Olympic potential. Had karate been given the opportunity for a second Olympic appearance, it would have undoubtedly built on its Tokyo 2020 momentum, elevating its status and solidifying its place as a standout sport on the world’s biggest stage.

PART 1: KARATE: PARIS 2024 GREATEST ABSENCE