Karate Preview
After several near misses for inclusion previously, the international karate community now has an opportunity to showcase the sport on the Olympic stage for the first time this summer at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. The sport will appropriately make its debut in the land of its origin.
Karate has been part of the Pan American Games since 1995. At the conclusion of the Pan American Games Lima 2019, the all-time medal count of Team USA is 14 golds, six silvers and 13 bronzes. The inclusion of the sport in Tokyo 2020 will allow the U.S. to try and continue that success on the Olympic stage.
The Olympic karate program consists of two different disciplines: kata and kumite. In kata, also known as forms, athletes are judged on their mastery of offensive and defensive movements, instead of actually fighting an opponent. The event is sometimes compared to the floor exercise in gymnastics. In kumite, also known as fighting, opponents spar with each other in an 8x8-meter area in three-minute bouts. Judges award points based on form, power and control to determine the winner.
The Olympic kumite categories will reduce the five weight divisions down to three by combining the two lightest and the two heaviest categories for each men and women. There will be three kumite and one kata category for both women and men. Team USA qualified Ariel Torres and Sakura Kokumai in kata, with Brian Irr qualifying in men’s kumite +75 kg.
Updated on June 24, 2021. For more information, contact the sport press officer here.