World Karate Federation facts for kids
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| Sport | Karate |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Worldwide |
| Membership | 200 |
| Abbreviation | WKF |
| Founded | October 10, 1970 |
| Affiliation | IOC |
| Regional affiliation | World |
| Headquarters | Madrid |
| Location | Spain |
| President | Antonio Espinós of Spain |
| CEO | Sara Wolfferdown |
| Vice president(s) | Jose Garcia-Maañón, Nasser Alrazooqi, Bechir Cherif, Gunnar Nordahl, Michael Kassis, Wolfgang Weigert |
| (founded) | October, 1970 |
| Official website | |
The World Karate Federation (WKF) is the main group that manages sport karate around the world. It has 198 countries as members and over 100 million people involved. The WKF is the only karate organization officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
This means the WKF helps make sure karate is played fairly everywhere. They organize big events like the Junior and Senior Karate World Championships. These exciting competitions happen every two years. The WKF's main office is in Madrid, Spain, and its president is Antonio Espinós.
Contents
How the WKF Started: A Brief History
Karate first came to Europe in the 1950s. Japanese masters from groups like the Japan Karate Association brought it.
Early European Karate Meetings
In 1961, Jacques Delcourt became the head of the French Karate Federation. In 1963, he invited other European karate groups to France. Countries like Italy, Great Britain, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and Spain were invited. Great Britain and Belgium joined the first international karate event.
Later that year, six of these groups met in Paris. This was the first European Karate Congress. They wanted to make karate tournaments better and more organized. They realized that different karate styles couldn't be made into one. So, they decided to make the rules for judges the same for everyone.
Forming European and World Unions
By 1965, the European Karate Union was created. Jacques Delcourt was chosen as its first president. The very next year, the first European Karate Championships were held in Paris.
In 1970, Delcourt also helped start the International Karate Union (IKU). He wanted to organize karate on a global level. When Ryoichi Sasakawa, head of the Japan Karate Federation (JKF), heard about this, he traveled to France. They talked about creating one big international group. The IKU soon joined with the European group and the Japanese federation. Together, they formed the World Union of Karate-do Organizations (WUKO).
WUKO Becomes WKF
In 1985, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially recognized WUKO. This made WUKO the official group for karate worldwide.
During the 1990s, many new groups joined WUKO. Its membership grew to 150 national federations. Because it was so much bigger, a new name was needed. On December 20, 1992, WUKO changed its name to the World Karate Federation (WKF).
The WKF continued to grow and became a very strong organization. In 1999, the IOC again confirmed that the WKF was the only official governing body for karate. This showed how important and respected the WKF had become.
Karate at the Olympics
A big moment for karate happened in August 2016. It was announced that karate would be part of the 2020 Summer Olympics. This was a huge step for the sport!
WKF Members: Karate Around the World
The World Karate Federation has 200 national member groups. These groups are spread across five continents.
Continental Karate Groups
Karate is organized into five main groups, one for each continent:
| Continent | Name | Abbreviation | National Member Groups |
|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | African Karate Federation | UFAK | 50 |
| Asia | Asian Karate Federation | AKF | 44 |
| Europe | European Karate Federation | EKF | 54 |
| Americas | Panamerican Karate Federation | PKF | 39 |
| Oceania | Oceanian Karate Federation | OKF | 13 |
National Karate Groups
Each continent has many countries that are members. Here are some examples:
- Asia: Afghanistan, Japan, China, India, South Korea, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and many more.
- Europe: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland), Russia, Turkey, and many others.
- Americas: United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and many more.
- Africa: Egypt, South Africa, Morocco, Algeria, Nigeria, Kenya, and many others.
- Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and others.
Karate Competitions and Events
The WKF organizes different types of karate competitions. These events test various skills in karate.
Kumite: Sparring Matches
Kumite is the sparring part of karate. It's like a controlled fight where athletes try to score points.
- Individual Kumite: Men and women compete in different weight categories.
- Team Kumite: Teams of men and women compete against each other.
Kata: Forms and Movements
Kata is a set of specific karate movements performed in a sequence. It shows balance, power, and technique.
- Individual Kata: Men and women perform their kata alone.
- Team Kata: Teams perform kata together, making sure their movements are perfectly synchronized. Sometimes, they also show bunkai, which is how the kata moves would be used in a real fight.
Para-Karate: For Athletes with Disabilities
The WKF also has special competitions for athletes with disabilities. This is called Para-Karate.
- Athletes with Visual Impairments (men and women)
- Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (men and women)
- Wheelchair Users (men and women)
These events follow special rules to make sure everyone can compete fairly and safely.
See also
In Spanish: Federación Mundial de Karate para niños
