The impressive popularity of Karate at young ages will be showcased next weekend at the record-breaking Karate 1-Youth League event to be held in Sofia (Bulgaria). The first Karate 1-Youth League is breaking all the participation records with nearly 2000 young karatekas registered to celebrate the power of youth Karate. 

The impressive popularity of Karate at young ages will be showcased next weekend at the record-breaking Karate 1-Youth League event to be held in Sofia (Bulgaria). The first tournament of the newly-created Karate 1-Youth League is breaking all the participation records with nearly 2000 young karatekas registered to celebrate the power of youth Karate. 

The Karate 1-Youth League is making its debut in WKF calendar this year. It aims at highlighting the remarkable and growing influence of the sport in young ages, and it presents four events scheduled to be organised in Sofia (Bulgaria), Umag (Croatia), Cancun-Quintana Roo (Mexico) and Caorle-Venice (Italy). 

The opening competition will take place in Sofia from May 25 to 27. The upcoming Karate 1-Youth League Sofia has caused a sensation among young karatekas around the world, as youngsters have massively turned to the event to be part of the historic tournament in the capital of Bulgaria.  

No less than 1858 competitors from 71 countries have confirmed their participation at the event. The tournament is set to be a true celebration of the sport, and it continues the massive response of youngsters in international underage karate events. Over 2000 young karatekas from 64 countries participated in the WKF Training Camp & Karate 1 Youth Cup last year in Umag (Croatia) while nearly 1700 youngsters from 107 nations took part in the 2017 World Cadet, Junior & U21 Championships in Tenerife (Spain).  

Competitors in the junior categories will also be looking forward to succeeding at the event since the tournament in Sofia attributes points for young karatekas to eventually qualify for the Youth Olympic Games. The first Karate athletes to win their tickets to Buenos Aires 2018 may earn in Sofia the points to lead the ranking and to qualify to the anticipated debut of Karate at the Youth Olympic Games. 

Additionally, the Karate 1-Youth League Sofia will be essential for the future of the sport since the up-and-coming Karate stars will be crowned at the event. Karate’s powerhouses will also take the opportunity to demonstrate the strength of their underage programmes at the event.