The third round of video conferences with national federations started Tuesday with representatives of Karate organisations from Asian, Oceanian, and European countries joining the first two sessions of meetings.

The third round of video conferences with national federations started Tuesday with representatives of Karate organisations from Asian, Oceanian, and European countries joining the first two sessions of meetings.

No less than 57 national federations gathered Tuesday in two sessions to discuss the situation of the sport around the world. WKF President Antonio Espinós headed the massive meetings thus showcasing the unity and popularity of the sport.

“Without the help and hard work of all the national federations, like the ones participating in the meetings today, it would not have been possible for our sport to reach the end of this difficult year with such positive spirits and bright prospects,” said WKF President Antonio Espinós.

“We are very optimistic about our near future. I am sure that with the cooperation and efforts of all the national federations, we will have an encouraging start of the season in 2021. We will continue making our best to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and hopefully, we will be able to resume our international activities as soon as possible”, added the head of Karate’s international organisation.

First session of meetings with representatives of Asian and Oceanian countries 

Representatives of Asian and Oceanian national federations joined the first of the two sessions today. The first meeting gathered delegates of Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Fiji, India, Iraq, Islamic Republic of Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, People’s Republic of China, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, UAE, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen, with WKF General Secretary Toshihisa Nagura also attending the event.

The second meeting of the day was focused on national federations of European countries. Delegates from Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Russian Federation, Scotland, Slovakia, and Switzerland participated in the gathering. WKF General Secretary Toshihisa Nagura, and WKF Para-Karate Commission and WKF Organising Commission Chairpersons Dusana Augustovicova and Esteban Perez also attended the meeting.

The effects of the coronavirus pandemic in the sport in different countries were analysed as many national federations around the world are taking steps to go back to the tatamis. Additionally, the initiatives that the WKF is implementing in the last months were reviewed including the celebration of the WKF’s 50^th Anniversary, the updates in the WKF Referee Commission, and the WKF Accredited Coach course, among others. The pathway to Karate’s debut at the Olympic Games was also evaluated.

The meetings with national federations will continue Wednesday with the sessions for representatives of Pan American and African countries.

European countries represented at the second session of meetings