Karate at 2020 Tokyo Olympics

[JohnASE]

Am I the only person here who thinks that keeping kata in is a good idea? It seems like a good way to showcase the various ryu, not just one. What are everyone else's objections to it?

Kata will be included in Tokyo along with Kumite.

The divisons will be

Male kata

Female kata

Male kumite - 3 weight categories.

Female kumite - 3 weight categories.

10 competitors per division.

No team kata? That's my favorite division to watch!

[sensei8]

Will there be a Freestyle Division for Kata?? This is just me, but I hope that the Kata will only be Traditional. The Freestyle Division might be for another venue, but not for the IOC.

[Nidan Melbourne]

Bob there won't be any freestyle division, it is only traditional. There is an approved Kata List that you have to choose from, which is quite extensive in itself.

[wayneshin]

Am I the only person here who thinks that keeping kata in is a good idea? It seems like a good way to showcase the various ryu, not just one. What are everyone else's objections to it?

Kata will be included in Tokyo along with Kumite.

The divisons will be

Male kata

Female kata

Male kumite - 3 weight categories.

Female kumite - 3 weight categories.

10 competitors per division.

No team kata? That's my favorite division to watch!

Mine also - esp at World level - but no Team kata.

The reason Karate and the other new sports got the opportunity to be included was they changed the Rules for inclusion from Maximum number of sports to maximum number of athletes allowed at the games. All of the new sports except baseball/softball have been accepted based on submissions that included 80 athletes. I guess Team kata would have meant another 30 competitors and jeapordised our inclusion.

[sensei8]

Bob there won't be any freestyle division, it is only traditional. There is an approved Kata List that you have to choose from, which is quite extensive in itself.

That's good to know, Liam; thanks.

On a side note...I wonder if Rika Usami will come out of retirement for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, now that Karate is in the IOC officially??

[wildbourgman]

It looks like everything will be based off of the WKF which isn't horrible. I would have liked to see a bit more equal opportunity for various karate styles and organizations to be involved in the decision process on who makes the team.

Right now I guess that all styles and organizations will have to go to WKF sanctioned events in order to have a chance to make the world rankings and then possibly be invited to the Olympics.

Now I think what I'm getting ready to say is profound, tell me if I'm wrong. In almost every other Olympic sport your have to worlds most talented competitors at that particular sport with a few exceptions, but in karate you could very possibly have several elite karate athletes that never even get an opportunity. Think about that how many Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps level folks run or swim around at that level and never get found, probably not many. How many awesome karate practicioners that happen to not either be in competition or not be associated with the WKF will get overlooked?

Just to say it another way, we may have hundreds of Usain Bolts in Karate and only 80 get to compete, or we may have hundreds of top notch karate-ka that can watch the 2020 Olympics and say we have a guy at the Dojo that's better than that. How many other sports is that possible?

[LLLEARNER]

Will there be a Freestyle Division for Kata?? This is just me, but I hope that the Kata will only be Traditional. The Freestyle Division might be for another venue, but not for the IOC.

Somewhere I read that there is a list of 90 Kata for them to choose from and they will have to have a separate one for each stage of the competition. I have also read there will be 3 weight classes for Kumite but saw 5 listed in the article. Of course I cannot find it now or I would post the link.

[sensei8]

I'm a bit dismayed by what I watched during the TKD events lately at Rio 2016. One particular item of concern was watching Steven Lopez fall short in his bid of winning another Olympic medal. His last match for a Bronze medal was against Oussama Queslati, of Tunisia, with a final score of 14-5, against a much taller opponent that was about 6' 7", against Lopez's 6' 3" frame. Queslati appeared to me to be all legs, and I mean long legs.

Exchange after exchange, round after round, Lopez attacked Queslati over and over, as did Queslati to Lopez. Queslati scored one after another after another, and after the 2nd round, Queslati was ahead by leaps and bounds, and I believe that the score was 10-1 against Lopez, with only one round remaining.

Over and over, Queslati and Lopez clashed with one another. Over and over, Queslati used his long legs to score...with the end looming over Lopez's Olympic medal search.

I was shocked!! Not that Lopez was bested by Queslati, but how the electronic scoring was not doing its job!! Even the two commentators made a disbelieved notice that even though Lopez was "scoring" one after another on Queslati, the electronic scoring vest wasn't awarding clean points to Lopez; these two commentators were without a reason as to why Lopez's clear points weren't being recorded.

This brings me to this concern. Sure, devices are man-made, and anything man-made, no matter how well made, malfunction without any notice at all; things happen. If that's the case!! No, I'm not saying that something underhanded occurred, not even going to entertain that.

I'm sure that when Karate makes its debut in the Olympics, those same scoring vests will be utilized. I'm sure, that the IOC went with scoring vests because a human judge is subjected to making judgemental errors. Whereas, an electronic vest isn't subjected to errors...or so we're lead to believe.

Lopez's TKD match wasn't the only match I watched, and time and time again, I saw very clean points not being tabulated by the electronic scoring vest. Clear points I saw were not glances, nor were they clashes.

I opt for doing the scoring for Karate at the Olympics being that of the old fashioned way of scoring...with human corner judges and a center judge. After all, for as long as I can remember, and that a lot of remembering, Karate Kumite matches aren't continues like TKD matches are. Karate matches stop after each score for judgement.

Old fashion or modern scoring? I choose old fashion!!