Joe Lewis was an American martial artist, professional kickboxer and actor. Originally a practitioner of Shōrin-ryū karate and champion in point sparring competitions, he became one of the fathers of full contact karate and kickboxing in the United States, and is credited with popularizing the combat sport in North America.
The Karate World Championships, also known as the World Karate Championships, are the highest level of competition for karate organized by the World Karate Federation (WKF). The competition is held in a different city every two years. Championships in the 2000s included Madrid in 2002, Monterrey in 2004, Tampere in 2006, Tokyo in 2008, and Belgrade in 2010. The competition was initially riddled with controversy regarding karate styles and the ruleset.
Hideo Ochi is a Japanese master of karate. He is ranked 9th Dan, and is a former Japan Karate Association (JKA) World Champion in kumite (sparring) and kata (patterns). He was also coach of the German national team and Chief Instructor for JKA Europe. In 1997, he received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Victor John-Charles is a British karateka. He has an 8th Dan black belt in karate and is the winner of multiple individual and team medals at the World Championship, World Games and European Karate Championships. Vic Charles came 3rd in 1983 television competition Superstars. Vic Charles was awarded an MBE for Services to karate in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 1989. This was the first time the sport of karate had been acknowledged in such a fashion. On retiring from competitive karate in 1990 Vic continued as chief instructor of British Sport Karate Association (B.S.K.A.) the Association he established in 1985. The Association dominated English karate competitions and won 2 European Club Team titles. The association counted 3 World and European Champions as members Mervyn Etienne, Mike Sailsman, and Willie Thomas. Vic was appointed English national coach in 1996 and became technical manager of the Performance Plan in 1997 until 1999. He was a member of the board of Karate England until 1999.
Molly Irene Samuel-Leport MBE is a British karateka, community leader and political candidate. She has a 6th Dan black belt in karate and is the winner of multiple European Karate Championships. Samuel-Leport received the 1989 Sunday Times International Sports Woman of the Year and 1987 Jamaican Jubilee Award for Excellence.
Billy Higgins is a British karateka and former kumite competitor. He holds an 8th-degree black belt from the KUGB, was a winner of multiple European championships, and a gold medalist in men's kumite with the British team at the 1975 World Karate Championships in Long Beach, California.
Eugene Codrington is a British karateka. He has an 8th Dan black belt in karate and is the winner of multiple European Karate Championships and was part of first non- Japanese team to win a World Karate Championships. Eugene is a founder member of the English Karate Governing Board (EKGB) for whom he is Senior Coach.
The 1976 European Karate Championships were held in Tehran from 5–7 May 1976 and were the 11th championship in the series. The event was organized by the European Karate Union.
Junior Lefevre is a Belgian-Croatian karateka. He has a 6th Dan black belt in karate and is the winner of multiple World Karate Championships and European Karate Championships medals, representing both Croatia and Belgium at tournaments. He is also chairman of C.I.K.A world.
Guusje van Mourik she is a Dutch karateka, judoka and boxer. She has a 4th Dan black belt in karate, and is the winner of multiple World Karate Championships, and is in The Guinness Book of Records for winning the most karate medals. She was four times world champion, six times European champion and twenty five times national champion in this discipline in the class 60+ kilograms. Also, she was once Taiko world champion and won several medals at the Dutch Judo National Championships. Guusje first found success she achieved in 1974 by winning a silver medal in judo. In 1982 she became Dutch and world champion karate. In 1987, Gussje was given Order of Orange-Nassau. In 1989 she made her debut as a boxer. In 1992 she became head coach of the women's karate team. Since retiring from competitive karate Guus is now a dental technician.
John Fonseca is a former American karateka most known for being the first karate athlete in the world to win repeat gold medals at the Pan American Games, first American to medal at the Karate World Championships in almost 16 years (kumite), and first American to win the Paris Open in more than 30 years.
Achraf Ouchen, is a Moroccan Karateka athlete who competes in the heavyweight division.
Steven Da Costa, sometimes written as Steven Dacosta is a French karateka. He won the gold medal in the men's 67 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan. He is a three-time gold medalist in the men's 67 kg event at the World Karate Championships. He is also a three-time gold medalist in this event at the European Karate Championships.
Irina Zaretska is a Ukrainian and Azerbaijani karateka. She won the silver medal in the women's +61 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan. She is a three-time gold medalist in the women's 68 kg event at the World Karate Championships. Zaretska is also a two-time gold medalist in this event at the Islamic Solidarity Games and the European Games.
Freddy Valera is a Venezuelan karateka. He won Gold Medal in the Men's Individual -84 Kg Kumite XXIV Juegos Centroamericanos y del Caribe San Salvador 2023.
Emily Thouy is a French karateka. She became world champion in the women's kumite 55 kg event at the 2016 World Karate Championships held in Linz, Austria.
Alisa Theresa Buchinger is an Austrian karateka. She won the gold medal in the women's kumite 68 kg at the 2016 World Karate Championships in Linz, Austria. She is also a two-time gold medalist in this event at the European Karate Championships, both in 2015 and in 2017.
Jennifer Warling is a karateka from Luxembourg. She is a three-time medalist, including gold, in the women's kumite 55 kg event at the European Karate Championships. She is also a two-time bronze medalist in her event at the European Games.
Alizée Agier is a French karateka. She won the gold medal in the women's kumite 68 kg event at the 2014 World Karate Championships held in Bremen, Germany. She also won the gold medal in this event at the 2019 European Karate Championships held in Guadalajara, Spain.
Dastonbek Otabolaev is an Uzbekistani karateka. He won the gold medal in the men's 75 kg event at the 2021 World Karate Championships held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He is the first ever Uzbek and Central Asian Karate World Champion. He is Master of sport international level and Black belt 4-dan. He is Captain national karate team of Uzbekistan. and He won the bronze medal first time history of Uzbekistan Karate at the 2022 World Games
French 
