WKF new competition kumite/kata rules

RULES

KUMITE Competition Rules for 2023   ENG|
KATA Competition Rules for 2023   ENG|
PARA-KARATE Competition Rules for 2023   ENG|

• – Examination questions – Kata 2023 EN|
• – Examination questions – Kumite 2023 EN|

Addition to article 3.6 in the WKF Referee Commission Rules

3.6. WKF Referees and Judges officiating in a WKF event cannot perform another function in that event unless authorized by WKF and are strictly warned against interacting with coaches and contestants during competitions in progress. Regardless of the place or circumstances, WKF Referees and Judges are not either allowed to appear in photos/videos together with coaches and contestants when wearing the official uniform. Referees and Judges violating this vital norm of conduct and Fair Play may face suspension from all WKF official events for a period to be determined.

Referees and Judges are also strictly advised to not publish content on any social media platforms with information that violates the privacy and integrity of other WKF members and the discretion of internal information. Referees and Judges violating this norm of privacy will face suspension from future appointments.

The terms Referees and Judges in this paragraph refers to all National, Continental and World Referees and Judges. Furthermore, WKF events in this paragraph refer not only to official WKF events but also to all events under the WKF umbrella.

Through this communication, we would like to send you important information ahead of the start of this new 2022 season.

1. NO-SHOWS AT KARATE 1 EVENTS

As already communicated a few months ago, the WKF has implemented new measures relating to those Referees and/or Judges that are so called “no-shows”, this is Referees/Judges that register for different Karate 1 competitions but do not attend. Not only do they not attend, but they also do not inform (prior to the event) that they are not going to participate or that they don’t have a legitimate excuse for not attending. In order to address the difficult situation this creates for the Local Organising Committees and the Chief Referees, the below is already being applied to these no-show cases:

·    a fine of 200€

·    a deduction of 5 points from the Referee’s Ranking

At the end of the year, having evaluated the measures and developments around this issue, the WKF EC has now approved further measures for no-shows of Referees at Karate 1 events:

• 2^nd time no-show:

                     –  a fine of 400€

                   –  a deduction of 20 points from the Referee´s Ranking

• 3^rd time no-show:

                  – Ineligibility for the official to register for a WKF event or Referee Course until the next

                    World Championships included

2. REFEREE / JUDGE RANKING

About one year ago, we introduced the WKF Referee/Judge ranking and during 2021 it was already implemented. Although it is not considered as yet as a tool for the registration of Referees at WKF events, this will continue being monitored for eventual future implementation, as already advanced at its beginning.

As a next step in this project, and in order to further engage in transparency, the ranking will be soon published and available to all on the WKF website in the dedicated section for Referees / Judges.

Please be informed that the WKF Executive Committee has approved the requirements for officiating Referees/Judges at the World Cadet, Junior and U21 Championships in Turkey next year 2022, that are in line with the ones for these years’ World Championships in Dubai.

Referees/Judges wishing to officiate at the World Championships 2022 will be required to attend at least the following events during the period of 1^st December 2021 until 1^st November 2022:

• Two (2) Premier League events
• One (1) Series A event
• One (1) Youth League event

In three (3) different continents.

Those that will participate in the Referee course of the World Championships in Turkey 2022 and pass the examination will be able to officiate in the World Championships as a confirmation event. Those who do not pass will only be authorized to do so in the case they show the necessary 2PL + 1SA + 1YL in 3 continents in the established period.  For those officials going to Turkey 2022 for the license renewal (written examination), they will be able to do the renewal, but will only be able to officiate the Championships if they have participated in 2PL + 1SA + 1YL in 3 continents during the established period.

Furthermore, officials that want to do the license renewal in 2022, need to have participated in at least 1 World Championships after the last license renewal.

Additionally, I would also like to inform you that the Referee ranking system that was launched in its trial phase during 2021, will for now continue under evaluation before its implementation as a selection criteria for PL events and World Championships.

Following you will find decisions taken by the WKF Executive Committee regarding refereeing issues appliccable for the 2021 WKF Sporting season.

1.       Eligibility for officiating the 2021 World Championships

In order to officiate at the 2021 World Championships in Dubai it will be required to have officiated two (2) Premier League competitions and one (1) Youth League in two (2) different continents during the 2021 season.

 2.       Ranking System for officials

Starting this February 2021, we will implement a evaluation system for A licensed officials for respectively Kumite and Kata with the objective of from 2022 have a listing of 100+ officials that will be qualified to officiate Premier League and World Championships. The evaluation system will consist of two categories of points: 

Firstly, attendance points for Youth League, Series A, Premier League (all counting 5 points) and the World Championships (counting 10 points) plus extra 2 points for functioning as respectively Tatami Manager or Appeals Jury Member. 

Secondly, up to 20 performance points, with five levels of performance and possible 15 reduction points for actions causing an approved protest. Points are accumulated for each event for the overall performance during the event.

For Kata an electronic system based on conformance to counting scores are used as well as a back-up manual system similar to the system used for Kumite. 

Members of the Referee commission would automatically be among the 100+ for the year they leave the commission and the following year (as they would not have had the opportunity to accumulate points as the other officials).

The year of 2021 will be a trial period, and one will first after the 2021 World Championships decide if the ranking is to be published and applied for determining which officials are eligible to officiate Premier League and World Championships in 2022

WKF Covid-19 guidelines

Find below the major changes applied to the Protocol: 20210331 Section 2: Health Screening Protocol Description of Required Documents for all events Inclusion of Athlete Support Staff for daily Antigen Testing Section 4 Masks without valves Section 10.1 Warm up Area Medal Rounds: 1 coach and 1 practice partner (Registered athlete) for each competitor Forms: * All documents are required 1. Updated Health Questionnaire 2. Waiver & Assumption of Terms Delegation/ Team Representative + Delegation List Individual > 18 years old Parental Consent < 18 years old

WKF COVID-19 PROTOCOL

MANDATORY DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED AT THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION
On registration day all participants must submit the 3 following documents (I, II, III) Printed.
I) Proof of COVID Status (only 1 of the following)
i. A Negative COVID-19 RT-PCR Test result issued at most 72 hours before the onsite registration in English. No antigen tests will be accepted.
ii. A COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate showing that they were fully vaccinated at least 2 weeks before the day of registration. *Specifications below
iii. A COVID-19 Recover Official Certificate. They must have tested positive at least 2 weeks and at most 6 months (180 days) before registration day. *Specifications below
II) Completed WKF Health Questionnaire (Annex I)
III) Waiver of Liability Form/Terms of Responsibility (only 1 of the following)

WKF Measures Relating to Referees and Coaches

Please notice the following when experiencing a 10 seconds rule situation:

When a Contestant is off his/her feet for more than 10 seconds, the Referee may call the Judges for a brief consultation “Fukushin Shugo”.

In case the Contestant stands up before the 10 seconds has passed and the Referee stops counting, then the Referee is not allowed to call the Judges for consultation.

New coach procedure from 1. January 2020

“If a competitor arrives at the tatami with unregulated equipment or Karate-Gi and is given one minute to correct matters, the competitor’s coach automatically loses the right to coach that bout”.

There are three main reasons for this:

• We need the Coaches to take more responsibility regarding the safety equipment and Gi of the competitors.
• We all have to do a better effort controlling that the safety equipment is homologated and WKF Approved.
• We are wasting a lot of time every time we send the competitors back to correct matters.

Dear National Federations,

In recent times it has come to our attention that athletes (together with their coaches) are increasingly arriving to the competition area with non-compliant protective sports equipment for their bout. This should not be allowed by the coaches, who have the responsibility to support and guarantee the athletes’ safety, for which the homologated sports equipment plays a significant role. In addition to this, the requirement to remedy matters alters the smooth development of competition.

Based on the above, and in line with Article 1 of the Accreditation Agreement of coaches (relating to the safety of competitors), it has been decided that the coaches of those competitors who do present themselves without the compulsory and compliant sports equipment will automatically lose the right to coach that bout.

Your support to the above measure is highly appreciated, as the athletes’ safety and wellbeing is of greatest importance to us. Therefore, you are requested to spread the information within your National Federations, more specifically among your coaches.

TO ALL WKF NATIONAL FEDERATIONS:

Since 2017, the optional use of karategis with the red or blue brand embroidered on the shoulders has been authorized for the Karate 1 events (Premier League, Series A and Youth League).

During these two years, the number of competitors who have chosen to use this type of karategi has been increasing, providing greater visibility to the competition and making it easier for spectators to identify the competitor in their AKA / AO position.

Due to the satisfactory evolution of this type of karategis and its contribution to the excellent promotion of WKF competitions on TV and on social media, the WKF Executive Committee has approved the use of karategis with the brand embroidered on the shoulders in All WKF events starting from January 1, 2020, according to the following criteria:

1. Karategis with the brand embroidered on the shoulders in RED or BLUE:
   1. Official karategi of mandatory use in Karate 1-Premier League tournaments.
   2. Karategi of optional use in Karate 1-Series A and Karate 1-Youth League tournaments.
   3. Karategi of optional use in the World Championships.

1. Karategis with the brand embroidered on the shoulders in GOLD:
   1. Official karategi of mandatory use in the Karate 1-Premier League tournaments for the incumbent Grand Winners.
   2. Official Karategi of mandatory use in the Senior World Championships for the incumbent World Champions.
2. The use of karategis with the embroidered brand on the shoulders is allowed only for the 12 brands with homologated protections by the WKF:

    ADIDAS – ARAWAZA – BEST SPORTS – BUDO NORD – DAEDO – HAYASHI – PUNOK – SHUREIDO – SMAI – TOKAIDO – WACOKU – WESING

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A TODAS LAS FEDERACIONES NACIONALES WKF

Desde el año 2017 el uso opcional de los karategis con la marca bordada sobre los hombros, en color rojo o azul, ha sido autorizado para los eventos de la Karate 1 (Premier League, Series A y Youth League).

Durante estos dos años, el número de competidores que han optado por utilizar este tipo de karategi ha ido en aumento, proporcionado una mayor vistosidad a la competición y facilitando a los espectadores la identificación del competidor en su posición de AKA/AO.

En base a la satisfactoria evolución de este tipo de karategis y a su contribución en la excelente difusión de las competiciones WKF tanto en TV como en las redes sociales, el Comité Ejecutivo de la WKF ha aprobado el uso de los karategis con la marca bordada sobre los hombros en todos los eventos WKF desde el 1º de Enero de 2020, según los siguientes criterios:

1. Karategis con marca bordada sobre los hombros en color ROJO o AZUL:
   1. Karategi oficial de uso obligatorio en los torneos de Karate 1-Premier League
   2. Karategi de uso opcional en los torneos de Karate 1-Series A y Karate 1-Youth League
   3. Karategi de uso opcional en los Campeonatos del Mundo

1. Karategis con marca bordada sobre los hombros en color ORO:
   1. Karategi oficial de uso obligatorio en los torneos de Karate 1-Premier League para los vigentes Grand Winners.
   2. Karategi oficial de uso obligatorio en los Campeonatos del Mundo Senior para los vigentes Campeones del Mundo.
2. Los karategis con la marca bordada sobre los hombros están aprobados únicamente para las 12 marcas con protecciones homologadas por la WKF:

    ADIDAS – ARAWAZA – BEST SPORTS – BUDO NORD – DAEDO – HAYASHI – PUNOK – SHUREIDO – SMAI – TOKAIDO – WACOKU – WESING

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À TOUTES LES FÉDÉRATIONS NATIONALES DE LA WKF:

Depuis 2017, l’utilisation optionnelle de karategis avec la marque rouge ou bleue brodée sur les épaules est autorisée pour les événements Karate 1 (Premier League, Série A et Youth League).

Au cours de ces deux années, le nombre de concurrents qui ont choisi d’utiliser ce type de karategi a augmenté, offrant une plus grande visibilité à la compétition et aidant les spectateurs à identifier le concurrent dans leur position AKA / AO.

En raison de l’évolution satisfaisante de ce type de karategis et de sa contribution à l’excellente promotion des compétitions de la WKF à la télévision et sur les médias sociaux, le Comité Exécutif de la WKF a approuvé l’utilisation de karategis avec la marque brodée sur les épaules dans tous les événements de la WKF à partir de 1er janvier 2020, selon les critères suivants:

1. Karategis avec la marque brodée sur les épaules en ROUGE ou BLEU:
   1. Karategi officielle d’utilisation obligatoire dans les tournois de Karaté 1-Premier League.
   2. Karategi d’utilisation optionnel dans les tournois de Karaté 1-Série A et de Karaté 1-Youth League.
   3. Karategi d’utilisation optionnel dans les Championnats du Monde.

1. Karategis avec la marque brodée sur les épaules en OR:
   1. Karategi officielle d’utilisation obligatoire dans les tournois de Karaté 1-Premier League pour les Grand Winners en titre.
   2. Karategi officiel d’utilisation obligatoire dans les Championnats du Monde Senior pour les Champions du Monde en titre.

1. L’utilisation de karategis avec la marque brodée sur les épaules n’est autorisée que pour les 12 marques avec protections homologuées par la WKF:

    ADIDAS – ARAWAZA – BEST SPORTS – BUDO NORD – DAEDO – HAYASHI – PUNOK – SHUREIDO – SMAI – TOKAIDO – WACOKU – WESING

WKF Rules Bulletin No. 1

English-Español- Francais

The following three (3) changes in the Video Review (VR) rules will be effective from the upcoming K1 Premier League in Berlin 2018.

• If the Coach request VR and two or more Judges show score for the same competitor, the point will be given and the Electronic Card will remain in the scoreboard.
• If the Coach request VR but in the opinion of the Referee Panel the technique was to hard or uncontrolled and a Cat.1 warning or penalty is given, the Electronic Card will remain in the scoreboard.
• Should a competitor lose the VR request during the eliminations round, he/she will regain the VR card for the semi-final as well as for any medal bout.

The WKF Competition Rules Commission has suggested that the duration of senior female kumite bouts should be changed to 3 minutes – in other words have the same duration as for the senior male categories.

 

The final decision on this issue will be taken by the Executive Committee meeting to be held during the 2018 World Championship in Madrid this November. Pending this decision, we have found it reasonable to notify all National Federations by this letter in order that coaches and athletes can be informed in good time about the anticipated change. This would mean a major change for the athletes affected and consequently to have the information well in advance before the 2019 season will be helpful for all involved.

 

 

 

Please notice that the WKF executive Committee has decided to immediately implement the following change in the Kumite Competition Rules:

When a  scoring technique is causing win by a lead of 8 points or more, the score should be awarded in full. 

For example: If an athlete has a 7-0 lead and then scores an Ippon, then the result is to be recorded as 10-0.

Is applicable for both team and individual bouts (round robin is consist of individual bouts), at all competitions where the official WKF rules are used.

Regarding the use of karate-gis currently authorized in the Karate 1 –Premier League events, which include the brand’s name embroidered on the karate-gi shoulders (in red or blue color), please be informed that these karate-gis can also be used in all events of the Karate 1:

– Premier League events
– Series A events
– Youth League events

This doesn’t apply for National, Regional, Continental or World Championships.

The authorized suppliers to commercialize these karate-gi models, are the currently TEN brands with sport protections WKF Approved:
ADIDAS – ARAWAZA – BUDO NORD – DAEDO – HAYASHI – SHUREIDO – SMAI – TOKAIDO – WACOKU – WESING

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WKF Video Review Rules (Version 15th June 2017).

New signal for SENSHU in Kumite competitions

SUMMARY OF CHANGES TO WKF COMPETITION RULES EFFECTIVE 1.1.2018