Karate Officials Meet Japanese Olympic Committee President to Discuss the Sport’s Olympic Future

A Karate delegation met with Seiko Hashimoto, President of the Japanese Olympic Committee, in Tokyo, Japan, to discuss the progress of the sport and Karate’s Olympic prospects. The Karate representatives were headed by WKF General Secretary Toshihisa Nagura, with Hiroyoshi Sasakawa, a key member of the Parliamentary Karate Support League, and Yoshihiro Sasakawa, President of the Japan Karate Federation (JKF) in attendance.

The discussions focused on the International Olympic Committee's Fit for the Future strategy, the road to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games, and the progress of Karate in the country and around the world.

The meeting highlighted the strong position of karate in Japan and the broad institutional support the sport continues to receive in its efforts to return to the Olympic programme.

WKF General Secretary Toshihisa Nagura said:

“The new JKF President has a broad and forward-looking vision of the WKF, which is exactly what I hoped to see. We can expect a stronger and closer relationship between the WKF, its National Federations (NFs), and the JKF. Moreover, under the leadership of the new President, we hope to see more WKF official competitions and international budo activities hosted in Japan.

“I am pleased to note that Ms. Hashimoto has a deep understanding of karate's unique identity and its strengths as a budo sport, and she is fully committed to supporting karate's return to the Olympic programme.”

"The support karate receives in Japan is remarkable and reflects the values and importance of our sport," said WKF President Antonio Espinós. "We greatly appreciate President Hashimoto's commitment and the continued backing of the Japanese Olympic Committee, the Parliamentary Karate Support League, and the Japan Karate Federation. Working together, we will continue to strengthen karate's global development and our common objective of seeing the sport return to the Olympic programme."

(Top picture: From left to right: Hiroyoshi Sasakawa, a key member of the Parliamentary Karate Support League, WKF General Secretary Toshihisa Nagura, Seiko Hashimoto, President of the Japanese Olympic Committee and Yoshihiro Sasakawa, President of the Japan Karate Federation (JKF)