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Forbes
Forbes
Business
Robert Hart, Forbes Staff

Karate Makes Historic Debut In Its First—And Possibly Last—Olympic Games

Topline

Karate made its long-awaited Olympic debut Thursday, one of four new sports at the Tokyo 2020 Games, where athletes are fighting to win not only gold but to secure the sport’s future as an Olympic discipline. 

Kiyou Shimizu of Team Japan competes during the Women’s Karate Kata Getty Images

Key Facts

Karate is one of four new sports to debut at the Tokyo Olympics this year, alongside skateboarding, surfing and sport climbing. 

A total of 80 athletes will compete in the three-day contest, which started Thursday, split evenly across eight events in two different disciplines.

There will be one men’s and one women’s kata event, a pattern of solo movements targeting a virtual opponent judged on factors including speed, rhythm and “the proper expression of the meaning of each technique with beautiful, flowing motion.”      

There will also be men’s and women’s kumite events, each split into three weight categories, where competitors fight to score points by landing blows on their opponent.  

Spain’s Sandra Sanchez Jamie won the first-ever Olympic gold in karate in the women’s kata competition Thursday, Japan’s Kiyou Shimizu winning silver and Hong Kong’s Lau Mo Sheung Grace and Italy’s Viviana Bottaro both taking home bronze medals.

Key Background

Tokyo 2020 may also mark the last time the Japanese martial art has a spot in the Olympic Games. Karate officials had hoped the sport’s inclusion in Tokyo would secure its long-term Olympic future given the sport’s popularity in France. However, organizers for the Paris 2024 Games dropped the sport in favor of breakdancing and no decision has been made on its inclusion for Los Angeles 2028. The sport has been fighting for a place on the Olympic stage for decades in a campaign that dates back to the 1970s. It was initially rejected for Tokyo 2020 as well, though a new provision introduced by the International Olympic Committee allowed host nations to propose several sports that are then approved by the IOC. Of the new sports introduced in Tokyo, karate is the only one not set to feature in Paris 2024.  

Further Reading

Climbing Makes Historic Olympic Debut In Controversial New Format (Photos) (Forbes)

See Skateboarders And Surfers Make Their Olympic Debut In Tokyo (Photos) (Forbes)

Japan's Naoto Sago (R) competes against Azerbaijan's Firdovsi Farzaliyev in the men's kumite -67kg elimination round during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games AFP via Getty Images
Steven de Costa of France and Abdel Rahman Almasatfa of Jordan compete in the men's kumite ASSOCIATED PRESS
Anzhelika Terliuga of Ukraine, left, and Moldir Zhangbyrbay of Kazakhstan compete in the women's kumite -55kg ASSOCIATED PRESS
Spain's Sandra Sanchez Jaime won gold in kata during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games AFP via Getty Images
Dilara Bozan of Team Turkey competes during the Women’s Karate Kata Elimination Round Getty Images
Turkey's Eray Samdan (L) competes against Jordan's Abdel Rahman Almasatfa in the men's kumite AFP via Getty Images
Wen Tzu-yun (L) of Team Chinese Taipei competes against Sara Bahmanyar of Team Iran during the Women’s Karate Kumite Getty Images
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