World Karate Federation (WKF) which fought for the Olympic status for more than 30 years, has finally established 8 categories in which competitions will be held at the Summer Olympics Games 2020 in Tokyo. These are male and female individual kata, male kumite up to 67 kg, up to 75 kg and plus 75 kg, and female kumite up to 55 kg, up to 61 kg and plus 61 kg.
Totally there are 8 categories. The Olympic quota is 100 athletes per karate WKF.
All of us are different in height and weight on this planet. Therefore there is a practice of dividing all martial art’s athletes according to height and weight in regular intervals in order to provide approximately equal competition per category.
Earlier in WKF, there were 5 weight categories for men and 5 for women.
For example, in the most popular WKF tournament «Paris Open» in 2015 took part more than 900 athletes. In male kumite category up to 60 kg there were 62 participants, up to 67 kg – 96, up to 75 kg – 81, up to 84 kg – 71, plus 84 kg – 67 participants. In female kumite in category up to 50 kg there were 30 participants, up to 55 kg – 47, up to 61 kg – 56, up to 68 kg – 38, plus 68 kg – 29 participants.
Why did I take the 2015 tournament as an example? Because later the WKF set a limit of 64 participants per category – in order who was first in registration.
If that «Paris Open» was held according nowadays Olympic categories, then in the man category up to 67 kg would be attended by 158 athletes, up to 75 kg - 81, plus 75 kg – 152 athletes. And in woman category up to 55 kg there would be 77 athletes, up to 61 kg – 56, up to 61 kg – 67 athletes. Feel the difference!
Karate men with the weight up to 67 kg are twice as many as karate men with the weight 67-75 kg! Karate men with the weight more than 75 kg are also twice as many as karate men with the weight 67-75 kg! And we have the same layout for women categories, but by half.
WKF went to Olympus in a simple way, combining two light and two heavy categories for men and women, leave untouched the middle weight, violating the rules of fair play.
Of course, at the upcoming World Karate Championship, the number of athletes in three weight categories will be approximately equal for both men and women, because there is an entry limit for country – one or two athletes per category.
The leaders of the ex-weight categories will beat each other at the stage of national championships. So the leaders of categories up to 60 and 67 kg, up to 84 and plus 84 kg for men and up to 50 and 55 kg, up to 68 and plus 68 kg for women will challenge the right to represent their country in the combined categories. In this way there will be twice as many participants in these categories at the national championships. While in men kumite up to 75 kg and women up to 61 kg the competition will be the same.
Many leaders of the previous weight categories will not have a chance to become a part of national squad.
Who benefits from such combining categories? Maybe in this decision there is some secret plan? Hardly. In the top ten of world WKF ranking in women kumite up to 67 kg there are three French athletes. But in the top ten in middle weight men kumite up to 75 kg there are athletes from 10 different countries.
Was it possible to redraw all the categories so that no one was hurt? It was possible, but they did as they did without asking the athletes and despite on the weight realities. The usual bureaucratic rudeness.
Interests of athletes, fair play… It's a mere trifle!
This is how decisions are made in Russia and in WKF!

Editor-in-Chief

P.S. Foreigners often and fairly blame Russians that they suffer irremovable and corrupt power. It's hard to argue with this. But not for those who have organizations like the IOC and FIFA accuse us of corruption.
And not them, having Antonio Espinos, who held the post of WKF president longer than any African dictator, to remember us Putin!