Will Karate Be in The 2028 Olympics?
Karate is one of the most well-known martial arts in the world, but in addition to being a martial art, it is also an important sport.
And where should important sports be?
In the Olympics.
For this reason many people are asking one question: will karate be in the 2028 olympics? We find out in today’s article!
Table of Contents
Karate and Olympics, the Background
Karate has a history of love and hate with the Olympics, perhaps more hate if we look at its history of participation in the Summer Olympics.
Karate’s first participation in an Olympic event was in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Here karate didn’t participate as an Olympic sport, but as a demonstration sport.
Karate made his olympic debut for the first time in 2020, at the Tokyo Olympics, held on August 5-7, 2021 at Nippon Budokan, the home of karate.
Really, there is one thing that many don’t know, karate didn’t make its first appearance as an Olympic sport in 2020, but it did in 2018 at the Buenos Aires Youth Olympics. You knew it?
Unfortunately, after the beautiful moment of glory, karate was removed from the Paris 2024 sports program, but in 2028?
Let’s find out now.
Will karate be in the 2028 olympics?
Even though the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are six years away, karate already hopes to be on the five-circle program.
It is during this time that the World Karate Federation (WKF) is putting a lot of effort into persuading the International Olympic Committee (CIO) to host them in the world’s most prestigious sporting event.
Karate is not the only sport that has been suggested, so participation is not guaranteed.
The nine sports in question are squash, karate, baseball/softball, lacrosse, kickboxing, break dancing, flag football and motorsport.
Cricket seems to be the current favorite among these because it is the most played and followed sport in the world, but karate also has a good chance of succeeding.
How Olympic sports are chosen
The International Olympics Committee, a non-profit organization that organizes the Olympic Games, decides which sports can participate in the Olympics.
For each new edition of the Olympics, numerous sports organizations are committed to get their sports into the Olympic Games, but the procedure for introducing a sport is long, expensive and very difficult, and many sports have been refused numerous times.
Only five sports have been part of the modern Olympics since the first edition, Athens 1896: athletics, cycling, fencing, gymnastics and swimming.
How many sports can be at the Olympics
In 2014, the IOC decided that a maximum of 310 events and 10,500 athletes are foreseen for the Summer Olympics. The limit may change: small exceptions may be made if they are deemed necessary to include a new sport.
How a new sport is proposed to the International Olympic Committee
A sport must first meet two criteria in order to be recognized by the IOC: it must be represented by an international federation and it must follow the guidelines of the global anti-doping organization.
The federation must then develop a marketing strategy for its sport.
According to World Squash Federation CEO Andrew Shelly, the price can reach several hundred thousand euros.
During these campaigns, sports are used to slightly change the rules of their sport to be more convincing.
A particular commission, the Olympic Program Commission, evaluates each request from the federations and determines whether the proposed sport actually has value for the Olympic Games’ brand and mission.
If the assessment is favorable, the sport is suggested to the IOC.
Summary
We have analyzed the history of karate in the Olympics, we have seen how a sport can become Olympic, now we just have to find out whether or not karate will be officially present in the programme of LA 2028.
