Should full-contact Karate be an oylmpic sport?

[Pacificshore]

I don't think that it'll become an olympic sport, especially when the governing bodies, that would oversee the sport itself can't even see eye to eye. I forget the who the two organizations are, but there had been articles regarding this in past martial arts magazines.

 

In regards to the Wushu question, yes it'll be introduced at the next Summer olympic games.

[Rich_2k3]

"The mission of the International Traditioanl Karate Federation is to promote traditional karate-do through international athletic competition and the training and education of young athletes and to serve as an international governing body of traditional karate. To this end, traditional karate must obtain the approval and official recognition as an olympic sport by the International Olympic Committee. This approval will be given only if the ITKF and the World Karate Federation (WKF) merge into one organization"

 

This is a quote from the WFK website, it is followed by a form in which to fill in that gives support to the merger of the WKF and the ITKF.

 

The ITKF believe strongly in keeping karate traditional and not turning into a "TKD style" martial art. This is the organisation that will hopfully protect karate. They've set down a few ground rules with WKF b4 they will agree to merge, but it seems likely that will happen soon.

[DLopez]

To this end, traditional karate must obtain the approval and official recognition as an olympic sport by the International Olympic Committee. This approval will be given only if the ITKF and the World Karate Federation (WKF) merge into one organization"

 

I am very interested in seeing how Karate will be recognized as a sport for Olympic competition, yet not have the same type of sport-only rules applied to it that Olympic TKD does.

 

Perhaps scoring in Karate sparring matches will be similar to TKD's with some variations on the rules to promote scoring through punches as well as kicks? Would the other aspects of Karate such as Katas be part of the competition?

[mushin_042]

DLopez, you can find the rules that karate will use if it's ever in the olympics at http://www.wkf.net/ . The wkf has rules for kata competition but i seriously doubt that kata performance will make it's way into the olympics. They ioc doesn't typically like increasing the number of participants in the games much which is why boxing, and taekwondo are short some weight classes in the games and also why you wont find poomse (korean kata) performances in the games either.