Can Karate fight its way into the Olympics?
If you went up to any member of the public and asked them to name a Martial Art, chances are they would say Karate. Despite it’s long standing history as a traditional Martial Art form dating back to the early 20th century, it is fair to say that if you say “karate” to a member of the public, their mind will immediately conjure up images of Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee or“The Karate Kid” film franchise. In a way, it is seen as a novelty in the UK, rather than the serious self-defence and combat practice art form it should be recognised as.
Despite its fame, Karate has never been at the Olympics while the lesser known Taekwondo and Judo are now regular fixtures in the lineup. It’s not for a lack of trying though. The WKF (World Karate Federation) has applied once more for Karate to debut at the Olympics, this time in it’s spiritual home, Japan. With the 2020 games set to be held in Tokyo, the WKF may have seen this as the perfect opportunity to get Karate involved in “the greatest show on earth”. However, they were to receive a serious body blow in October 2013, when they failed to make the shortlist for nominated sports as Wrestling was voted back into the games by the IOC (International Olympic Committte). It appeared the sport would have to wait once again for Olympic status.
Over a year later, karate was thrown a lifeline. In December 2014, the IOC implemented a rule change which axed the 28 sport limit and replaced it with a cap of 10,500 athletes and 310 medal events. This means, theoretically, that there is no limit on the number of sports at the 2020 games but in reality it means that there is room for an additional sport. Karate was amongst those that were proposed, along with softball/baseball, sports climbing, surfing and skateboarding. The current front runners are Karate and the joint bid from softball and baseball, the most watched sport in Japan. But who should win out?
Softball/Baseball
Softball and baseball are looking for a return to the games after their removal following Beijing 2008. Baseball may not have the tradition and history that Karate does but it makes up for that with its immense popularity. It was introduced to Japan in the late 19th century and has since gone from strength to strength. Nippon Professional Baseball, the highest tier of pro-baseball in Japan, is the second-highest attended sports league in the world, only beaten by the USA’s Major League Baseball. Softball is one of the popular sports in the world for women, so this bid does put across a strong case.
However, the IOC’s reasoning for the initial removal of both sports may be their undoing once more. The major issue that arose from baseball’s inclusion was that the Major League Baseball franchises were unwilling to let their star players go mid-season to compete. This resulted in the Olympic baseball event not featuring the best players, an aspect which the IOC looked very negatively towards. The IOC want an Olympic gold medal to be the pinnacle of the sports included and many would argue that with baseball this wouldn’t be the case. If this joint bid is to fail, this will most likely be the reason.
Karate
As a traditional Japanese Martial Art, the case for the inclusion of Karate seems obvious. People tend to enjoy watching combative sports or “kumites” in Karate’s case. These kumites would be a fine addition to the Tokyo games however if Karate were to be given Olympic status, the more traditional federations would want include the “katas”. These katas are routines that involve no physical confrontation and instead are choreographed movements. This is less likely to capture the imagination of a global audience, meaning the IOC may look to a different sport. Taekwondo sacrificed their equivalent to katas in order to gain Olympic status. Whether or not the powers-that-be in Karate are willing to abandon the traditonal form of the Martial Art is a different question and the success of their bid may depend on the governing body’s openness to compromise.
The IOC have a tough decision to make. Whatever they decide, there will be discontent and joy on both sides as there are those in baseball/softball and those in Karate who do not want their sport to be part of the Olympic Games. It’s up to the IOC to decide whose positives outweigh their negatives by the most amount.
