World Karate Federation (WKF) President Antonio Espinós met with representatives from Southeast Asian National Federations to evaluate the situation of karate in the 2025 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. The meeting, held during the 2024 AKF Cadet, Junior & U21 Championships in Manila, Philippines centred on the importance of maintaining karate as a core sport in the upcoming SEA Games.

The meeting was chaired by President Espinós and saw the attendance of the Asian Karate Federation (AKF) Vice-President and WKF Executive Committee Member Rashi Al-Ali, and AKF CEO Vicent Chen. Representatives from Southeast Asian National Karate Federations also participated, including the Secretary General of the Vietnam Karate Federation Vu Son Ha, the President Karate Union of Singapore Seah Kwang Soon, the Secretary General of the Lao Karate Federation Sonesack N. Nhansana, the President of the Myanmar Karate Federation Dr. Win Zaw, the Vice President of FORKI (Indonesia Karate Federation) Darly Siregar, the President of the Karate Philippines Sports Federation Richard Lim, the Vice President of the Thailand Karate Federation Surasit Thongchan, and AKF CEO Vicent Chen who in his role of the Deputy President, represented the Malaysia Karate Federation in the meeting.

A key focus of the discussions was the ongoing efforts to secure karate's continuity in the sports programme of the 2025 SEA Games, scheduled to be held in December 2025 in Thailand. Karate has been a staple in the SEA Games, featured consistently from 1985 to 1991, 1995 to 1997, 2001 to 2013, and from 2017 until its appearance in the last edition in 2023.

To bolster these efforts, the creation of a dedicated working group was agreed upon. This group will be led by His Excellency Tun Seri Setia Mohamad Ali bin Mohamad Rustam, the Governor of Melaka, who also serves as a WKF Executive Committee Member and AKF Vice-President, and Mr. Surasit Thongchan, the Vice President of the Thailand Karate Federation.

The meeting also highlighted the strong backing from several National Olympic Committees (NOCs) in the region, which have voiced their support for karate's continued presence in the SEA Games. Countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Timor-Leste, and the Philippines have all expressed their support for karate, emphasising the sport's deep-rooted popularity across Southeast Asia.

WKF President Antonio Espinós said after the meeting:  

"The SEA Games is the most important multi-sport event for Southeast Asian countries, and due to the popularity of karate in the region, the added value that Karate is giving to the event is evident. Karate has been a mainstay in recent editions, and its strength and excellence have been underlined over the years, including in the last edition in 2023 in Cambodia, where Karate showcased its many values and tremendous sporting spirit. 

“With the collective efforts of the Southeast Asian karate community, along with the unwavering support and collaboration of the AKF and WKF, I am confident that karate will continue to demonstrate its status and popularity in the region and will raise the bar of the SEA Games even more.”

Vietnam topped the medal table of the Karate competition at the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia, with Malaysia and the Philippines also registering deserving performances. The 2025 SEA Games will take place from 9 to 20 December 2025 in Thailand, with Bangkok Metropolitan Region, Chonburi, and Songkhla as their main host cities.