Karate "Ready to Adapt" Despite Olympic Agenda Concerns

(ATR) Antonio Espinos tells Around the Rings the IOC’s plan to move from a sport- to an event-based system will hamper karate’s bid to join the Olympics.

Recommendation 10 proposes regular reviews of the program to be based on events rather than sports, restricting the Summer Games to a maximum of 310 events.

The president of the World Karate Federation tells ATR the recommendation, if passed at the IOC Session in Monaco, places limitations on new sports vying for Olympic inclusion.

"I don’t want to use the word disappointment but just concerned that it might not be as easy as we thought for the new sports in general and for us," he said.

"We thought that the program could offer more possibilities to the outsiders. We think that it’s going to be again very difficult, as it has been before," Espinos added.

A better deal for non-Olympic sports in the IOC’s reform proposals, he explained, would have been offering space "to accommodate a few events more."

Last year, karate failed in its bid to join the Olympic program, with the IOC Session voting to rescue wrestling from Olympic oblivion rather than choosing a new sport for the 2020 and 2024 Games. Bids from baseball/softball, squash and roller sports also lost out.

Baseball/softball is widely tipped to be on a fast-track to joining the roster of sports on the Tokyo 2020 program due to the sport’s huge popularity in Japan.

Under the Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendation, the IOC plans to allow organizing committees "to make a proposal for the inclusion of one or more additional events on the Olympic program."

Espinos believes that six events may be up for grabs at the Tokyo Olympics. Tokyo 2020 is expected to ask the IOC to accept baseball/softball with other international federations pushing for extra events to fill the vacant spots.

"What I am not very optimistic about is the number of events. The 2020 Agenda is saying the local organizing committee will be able to add one or more events, [but we] don’t know how many," he said.

While karate "has some big hopes" due to ongoing talks with the Japanese Karate Federation, Espinos said that unless Olympic events were restructured with some of the 28 sports giving up some disciplines, "there is not enough space for outsiders."

Asked about baseball/softball’s expected fast-track into the Tokyo Games, he said, "I am never angry at the success of the others. I am disappointed about our lack of success.

"We will continue fighting for what we have been fighting for 10 years. It is our destiny to fight for the Olympic program."

Espinos is hoping the "very active" Japanese Karate Federation will submit a proposal to Tokyo 2020 organizers soon after the Dec. 8-9 IOC Session in Monaco, at which the 40 Agenda 2020 recommendations will be put to a vote.

"We will keep on fighting and we are ready to accept any participation proposal," Espinos said.

One possibility is that the World Karate Federation will revive its open weight category in order to comply with the IOC’s strict regulations on event and athlete numbers.

Espinos told ATR, "We are ready to adapt. We are ready to do this." A special Olympic qualification event would be created.

"We are happy with any possibility that gives us a chance to be in Tokyo," Espinos said.

"For us it is a priority and will be a priority always until we enter [the Olympics]. And once we enter, it will be a priority to stay," Espinos said.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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