karate1

Olympic athletes have high expectations for #Karate1Fukuoka

2023-06-08

Olympic athletes have high expectations for #Karate1Fukuoka

The Karate 1-Premier League Fukuoka brings Karate’s first-class international events back to the birth nation of the sport. After the success of Karate at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the sport returns to Japan for an anticipated event.

“I want to be the champion!” said Kiyou Shimizu who won the silver medal at the Olympic Games in Female Kata. “This is my first visit to Fukuoka. It might be a different atmosphere from the past Karate 1-Premier League in Tokyo and Okinawa, but I hope that people will enjoy the event in Fukuoka”.

Japan host the Karate 1-Premier League in Fukuoka after welcoming the event in Tokyo in 2019 and 2018, and in Okinawa in 2016, 2015, and 2014.  Local athletes who will be widely represented at the event hope to shine in front of the home audience.

“It is very important that the event is being held again in Japan, the birth nation of the sport,” said Ayumi Uekusa, who took seventh place at the Olympic Games.

After competing in the Olympics, I took a break from karate. By going abroad and seeing the world, I found the good points of myself and learned the values that I could not find at the time in Japan. The experience that I had abroad had a highly positive effect on me and in my performances in Karate,” added the number 2 in WKF Ranking and former Grand Winner.

Ayumi Uekusa and Kiyou Shimizu headline the list of Olympians competing in Fukuoka.

“Karate originated in Japan and developed as a sport to reach every corner of the world. People in other countries value the traditional aspects of the sport such as etiquette and honour,” said Ayumi Uekusa who started practising Karate when she was nine years old.

 

“When I was 13 years old, I finished in third place in a national junior high school championship. I was very upset. I was aiming for the gold medal, but the kids in my age group were very strong and I lost. However, this victory inspired me to continue practising Karate,” said Shimizu who is a two-time World Champion and three-time continental titleholder.

 

The Karate 1-Premier League Fukuoka is scheduled from June 9 to 11. The eliminations will be available LIVE on the WKF YouTube channel. Fans can follow the medal bouts exclusively on Fight Sports and a host of TV platforms around the world.

 

FULL LIST OF TV PROVIDERS


2023 KARATE 1-PREMIER LEAGUE FUKUOKA