Competition details | |
---|---|
Discipline | Karate |
Type | Kumite and Kata, biennial |
Organiser | World Karate Federation (WKF) |
Divisions | |
Current weight divisions | Male -60Kg,-67Kg, -75Kg, -84Kg and +84Kg. Female -50Kg, -55Kg, -61Kg, -68Kg and +68Kg. |
History | |
First edition | 1970 in Tokyo, Japan |
Editions | 25 (2021) |
Final edition | 2021 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
Most wins | Japan (188 medals) |
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). [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] The competition is held in a different city every two years. [6] Championships in the 2000s included Madrid in 2002, Monterrey in 2004, Tampere in 2006, Tokyo in 2008, and Belgrade in 2010. [7] [8] The competition was initially riddled with controversy regarding karate styles and the ruleset. [2] [9] [10] [11] [12]
In 1980, women were first allowed to compete in the championships. [9]
The result of a bout is determined by a contestant obtaining a clear lead of eight points, having the highest number of points at time-up, obtaining a decision (hantei ), or by an accumulation of prohibited behaviors imposed against a contestant.
1. Conformity - with standards in form and style (Ryu-ha)
2. Technical performance:
3. Athletic performance:
4. Fouls:
Edition | Year | Host City | Country | Events |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1970 | Tokyo | Japan | 2 |
2 | 1972 | Paris | France | 2 |
3 | 1975 | Long Beach | United States | 2 |
4 | 1977 | Tokyo | Japan | 2 |
5 | 1980 | Madrid | Spain | 10 |
6 | 1982 | Taipei | Taiwan | 13 |
7 | 1984 | Maastricht | Netherlands | 13 |
8 | 1986 | Sydney | Australia | 15 |
9 | 1988 | Cairo | Egypt | 16 |
10 | 1990 | Mexico City | Mexico | 16 |
11 | 1992 | Granada | Spain | 16 |
12 | 1994 | Kota Kinabalu | Malaysia | 16 |
13 | 1996 | Sun City | South Africa | 17 |
14 | 1998 | Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 17 |
15 | 2000 | Munich | Germany | 17 |
16 | 2002 | Madrid | Spain | 17 |
17 | 2004 | Monterrey | Mexico | 17 |
18 | 2006 | Tampere | Finland | 17 |
19 | 2008 | Tokyo | Japan | 17 |
20 | 2010 | Belgrade | Serbia | 16 |
21 | 2012 | Paris | France | 16 |
22 | 2014 | Bremen | Germany | 16 |
23 | 2016 | Linz | Austria | 16 |
24 | 2018 | Madrid | Spain | 16 |
25 | 2021 | Dubai | United Arab Emirates | 16 |
26 | 2023 | Budapest | Hungary | 16 |
27 | 2025 | Cairo | Egypt | 16 |
The following reflects the all-time medal counts as of the 2021 World Karate Championships:
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Japan | 98 | 54 | 60 | 212 |
2 | France | 57 | 47 | 71 | 175 |
3 | Great Britain | 29 | 22 | 25 | 76 |
4 | Spain | 25 | 33 | 69 | 127 |
5 | Italy | 21 | 39 | 66 | 126 |
6 | Turkey | 12 | 10 | 36 | 58 |
7 | Egypt | 10 | 12 | 29 | 51 |
8 | Netherlands | 10 | 11 | 20 | 41 |
9 | Iran | 10 | 9 | 24 | 43 |
10 | Azerbaijan | 10 | 5 | 8 | 23 |
11 | Germany | 8 | 14 | 32 | 54 |
12 | United States | 6 | 13 | 20 | 39 |
13 | Brazil | 6 | 5 | 7 | 18 |
14 | Serbia | 6 | 3 | 6 | 15 |
15 | Venezuela | 4 | 3 | 10 | 17 |
16 | Finland | 4 | 3 | 8 | 15 |
17 | Croatia | 3 | 4 | 13 | 20 |
18 | Russia | 3 | 4 | 9 | 16 |
19 | Sweden | 3 | 4 | 6 | 13 |
20 | Greece | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
21 | Australia | 3 | 3 | 10 | 16 |
22 | Georgia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
23 | Mexico | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 |
24 | Austria | 2 | 2 | 7 | 11 |
25 | Serbia and Montenegro | 2 | 0 | 6 | 8 |
26 | Norway | 1 | 5 | 4 | 10 |
27 | Chinese Taipei | 1 | 3 | 7 | 11 |
28 | Vietnam | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
29 | Chile | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
China | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |
31 | Slovakia | 1 | 1 | 8 | 10 |
32 | Switzerland | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 |
33 | Netherlands Antilles | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
34 | Senegal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
35 | Benin | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
36 | Estonia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Poland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
South Africa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
Uzbekistan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
40 | Hungary | 0 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
41 | Ukraine | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
42 | Canada | 0 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
43 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
44 | Yugoslavia | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
45 | North Macedonia | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Tunisia | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
47 | Kazakhstan | 0 | 1 | 10 | 11 |
48 | Peru | 0 | 1 | 9 | 10 |
49 | Belgium | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
Denmark | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | |
Morocco | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | |
52 | Malaysia | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
53 | Czech Republic | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Guatemala | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Luxembourg | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
56 | Czechoslovakia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Paraguay | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
58 | Bulgaria | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Hong Kong | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | |
60 | Algeria | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Colombia | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
RKF | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
Romania | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
64 | Argentina | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Dominican Republic | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
IOA | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Indonesia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Kosovo | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Latvia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Montenegro | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Philippines | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Singapore | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Slovenia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Totals (73 entries) | 354 | 356 | 664 | 1374 |
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