PARA- KARATE

Para-Karate refers to a modality of Karate in which competition rules have been established in order to accommodate fair competitions among athletes with disabilities. Para-Karate is focused on developing the ancient discipline of “kata” for wheelchair athletes, visually impaired athletes and athletes with mental disabilities.

In 2006 the World Karate Federation created the Para-Karate Commission in an effort to develop and promote Karate to athletes of all disabilities. Since then, Para-Karate is a fully integrated part of the operations of the World Karate Federation.

In 2015 the World Karate Federation became a recognized IF by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) , thus reflecting the federation’s progress and ongoing work in developing Para-Karate.

In 2012 Para-Karate was presented to the public for the first time at the World Championships in Paris in a demonstration competition. 2014 and 2016 followed the official Para-Karate World Championships in Bremen (Germany) and Linz (Austria). Participation in the Championships has been growing steadily since then. The year 2018 will be a glorious year for the growing community of Para-Karate Athletes, since the first European Para-Karate Championships in Novi Sad (Serbia), and the World Championships in Madrid (Spain) will be true milestones the development of the modality.