The Karate World Championships, also known as the World Karate Championships, are the highest level of competition for karate organized by the World Karate Federation (WKF).[1][2][3][4][5] The competition is held in a different city every two years.[6] Championships in the 2000s included Madrid in 2002, Monterrey in 2004, Tampere in 2006, Tokyo in 2008, and Belgrade in 2010.[7][8] The competition was initially riddled with controversy regarding karate styles and the ruleset.[2][9][10][11][12]
Competition details | |
---|---|
Discipline | Karate |
Type | Kumite and Kata, biennial |
Organiser | World Karate Federation (WKF) |
Divisions | |
Current weight divisions | Male -60Kg,-67Kg, -75Kg, -84Kg and +84Kg. Female -50Kg, -55Kg, -61Kg, -68Kg and +68Kg. |
History | |
First edition | 1970 in Tokyo, Japan |
Editions | 25 (2021) |
Final edition | 2021 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
Most wins | Japan (188 medals) |
In 1980, women were first allowed to compete in the championships.[9]
The result of a bout is determined by a contestant obtaining a clear lead of eight points, having the highest number of points at time-up, obtaining a decision (hantei ), or by an accumulation of prohibited behaviors imposed against a contestant.
1. Conformity - with standards in form and style (Ryu-ha)
2. Technical performance:
3. Athletic performance:
4. Fouls:
Edition | Year | Host City | Country | Events |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1970 | Tokyo | Japan | 2 |
2 | 1972 | Paris | France | 2 |
3 | 1975 | Long Beach | United States | 2 |
4 | 1977 | Tokyo | Japan | 2 |
5 | 1980 | Madrid | Spain | 10 |
6 | 1982 | Taipei | Taiwan | 13 |
7 | 1984 | Maastricht | Netherlands | 13 |
8 | 1986 | Sydney | Australia | 15 |
9 | 1988 | Cairo | Egypt | 16 |
10 | 1990 | Mexico City | Mexico | 16 |
11 | 1992 | Granada | Spain | 16 |
12 | 1994 | Kota Kinabalu | Malaysia | 16 |
13 | 1996 | Sun City | South Africa | 17 |
14 | 1998 | Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 17 |
15 | 2000 | Munich | Germany | 17 |
16 | 2002 | Madrid | Spain | 17 |
17 | 2004 | Monterrey | Mexico | 17 |
18 | 2006 | Tampere | Finland | 17 |
19 | 2008 | Tokyo | Japan | 17 |
20 | 2010 | Belgrade | Serbia | 16 |
21 | 2012 | Paris | France | 16 |
22 | 2014 | Bremen | Germany | 16 |
23 | 2016 | Linz | Austria | 16 |
24 | 2018 | Madrid | Spain | 16 |
25 | 2021 | Dubai | United Arab Emirates | 16 |
26 | 2023 | Budapest | Hungary | 16 |
27 | 2025 | Cairo | Egypt | 16 |
The following reflects the all-time medal counts as of the 2021 World Karate Championships:
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