Seven Sports for 2016 Olympics: Karate
Interview with WKF Präsident Antonio Espinos | 6/10/2009
Antonio Espinos: "The Olympics are very important for a sport like karate; it combines all the values we represent. One of the strong points of karate is its social value."
Seven sports are campaigning to join the Olympic program for the 2016 Games, each presenting their case next week to the IOC Executive Board in Lausanne. Baseball, golf, karate, roller sports, rugby, softball and squash are the candidates. In this installment of our series on each of the sports, World Karate Federation President Antonio Espinos talks about karate and the Olympics.
Why is the time right for karate to join the Olympics?
Antonio Espinos: We are even stronger and more stable than then [IOC Session in Singapore 2005]. We have progressed a lot in those four years and improved in reports submitted to the IOC. We were ready then and are even more ready in 2009.
Why are the Olympics important for karate?
AE: The Olympics are very important for a sport like karate; it combines all the values we represent. One of the strong points of karate is its social value. We have 180 federations and it’s a sport that represents the practices of today’s society. The problem today is social recognition by institutions… in developing countries Olympic sports get funded by public institutions but non-Olympic sports get nothing. In spite of that we have been able to promote the sport. You can imagine what would happen if we become an Olympic sport, it would boost the social value of karate.
What is the contribution karate makes to the Olympic Games?
A.E: We have a proposal for 120 elite athletes, 60 men and 60 women, so we contribute to gender equity. It’s a spectacular and attractive sport and we get very good audiences when we have big events like world championships. Karate can share an existing venue in the Olympics such as volleyball or basketball; we don’t need additional venues. Also it’s a very cheap sport. We only need two sports competition areas, plus training areas, screens and scoreboards.
What is your unique selling point over your rivals?
AE: Some IOC members think that if karate entered there would be too many martial arts and the program commission report in 2002 said exactly this. The IOC Session in 2005 showed this was not the main opinion of IOC members as we were shortlisted with squash. That proved they have no problem with karate, but we couldn’t get the two-thirds majority to become an Olympic sport. We would dynamise the Olympic program.
What has the campaign been like?
AE: We are a modest federation, we don’t have many resources to make a big campaign in the media. But we’ve been pretty active and have been contacting the [IOC] president in many meetings. At the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa in August, I will make a presentation on karate. And we spoke with people at Sportaccord in Denver. We have been doing as much as we can but always following the principle established by the IOC president that the money we have should be used for the development of the sport not so much for bidding. I don’t think they [IOC members] should be too influenced by the media. We have asked the [IOC] president to provide a stipend to the candidate federations to offset these expenses and reduce the impact on our development program; we haven’t yet got an answer. To be shortlisted shouldn’t become a punishment for a federation.
The World Karate Federation is the only international governing body for karate that is recognized by the IOC.
Are you planning to ramp up your campaigning in the time leading up to the Berlin Executive Board meeting in August, and if so, what can we expect?
AE: No, we are not doing anything special. I will be making the presentation to the African NOCs and not much more. We will send more materials to the IOC and be more active in this way.
What have you done to make karate interesting and suitable for the Olympics?
AE: We have done many things. When I was elected president in 1998 my program was designed to make karate more spectacular and to prepare ourselves for the Olympics. At our congress in 2000 we approved the first big changes in competition rules to make it a more attractive competition. On Jan. 1 [2009] new changes entered into force with slight adjustments from the 2000 plan, and everything is working perfectly. We also created a new category of cadets [14-15 years] even before the IOC was talking about the Youth Olympic Games. Also we have worked on improving athletes safety and on the rules of refereeing. The WKF has 189 national federations affiliated with the organization.
Has karate’s lack of finances affected its chances in the competition against some moneyed rivals?
AE: I think what is important is that the IOC opinion on the sports is based on values not on the money each sport has been spending for publicity and campaigning. IOC members have all the elements necessary to know about each sport. We are a sport for the people.
Do you think the lack of scandals and doping problems in karate provide a big boost?
AE: I can assure you we are a very stable and united federation and that is very powerful. 100 percent of my time in the sport is for the promotion of karate not for solving problems. Karate is a drug-free sport. In the few cases, substances found in analyses have not been to enhance the performance of athletes. I feel that in recent years the stability of the WKF with the same president, secretary general and team on board has been able to reinforce this image of professionalism, of loving the sport and working for it.
How confident are you and do you think your chances have improved in recent months?
AE: I am confident about our chances. It would be a big lesson to our world; money is not everything. The IOC has a big opportunity to give this message to everybody – that sport is the most important thing.
