KUALA LUMPUR – Will karate make a comeback in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics?
The future of karate at the Olympic Games looks hopeful, as recent discussions between the World Karate Federation (WKF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) focused on including the sport in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
These talks, held in Paris during the recent Olympics, involved representatives from Malaysia and centred on creating a qualification system for Brisbane.
This comes after the WKF’s unsuccessful bid to include karate in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
It is understood that a total of seven more meetings are planned from next year until 2028 to further discuss competition categories and ensure a fair qualification process, with quotas allocated for athletes from different continents.
According to a reliable source within the sports community, the WKF is advocating for an expanded quota for Asian teams, highlighting the sport’s growth and strong performances in the region, particularly at the World Karate Championships and the Asian Karate Championships.
“If these discussions with the IOC are successful, Malaysia could have a better chance of winning more medals at the Brisbane Olympics,” the source stated.
“This is our opportunity to secure a gold medal at the Olympics. Our karate athletes consistently perform well, especially in the Asian Games, where they’ve won numerous gold medals.”
The source added that the WKF is working to ensure a fair quota system, allowing athletes from all continents an equal opportunity to compete in the Olympics without favouring a particular continent, such as Europe.
“Our national karate athletes need to become more versatile and master all categories to ensure they remain competitive for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
“That’s why our Malaysian representatives have been so active in the discussions in Paris – they are diligently working to secure our athletes’ future in the sport.
“Things are indeed moving in the right direction, and we expect positive news from the WKF and IOC in the coming years,” the source shared.
Karate has been campaigning for inclusion in the Olympics for decades, with efforts dating back to the 1970s.
The sport made its Olympic debut in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as one of four optional sports.
The top national karate exponents at that time – S. Prem Kumar, P. Madhuri and R. Sharmendran – failed to secure a spot in Tokyo after losing in the qualifiers.
Karate was excluded from the Paris 2024 Olympics in favour of breakdancing, despite its popularity in France.
In August 2022, the 2028 Los Angeles organising committee shortlisted nine sports: baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, karate, kickboxing, lacrosse, squash and motorsport.
However, the final selection included flag football, squash, baseball/softball, cricket (returning for the first time since 1900) and lacrosse (returning for the first time since 1908).
The WKF continues to push for karate’s inclusion in future Olympics, with hopes pinned on the 2032 Brisbane Games. – August 31, 2024
