Why Isn’t Karate an Olympic Sport?

Karate has been around for hundreds of years. It is one of the oldest and most practiced martial art in the world. But, why isn’t it an approved sport in the Olympics? Currently, Tae Kwon Do and Judo are the only two martial arts that are official events of the Olympic games. Karate, on the hand, has been reviewed several times, but was never passed by the IOC (International Olympic Committee). Let’s take a look at Olympic review process, past considerations of karate by the IOC, and reasons why it may not have been approved.

How are Sports Evaluated and Approved by the IOC?

According the Olympic Guidelines, there are several criteria for a sport to become a part of the Olympics. First, the sport must be widely practiced around the world. Second, the sport need to be overseen by a International Federation. This federation will determne the competitions rules and ensure that the guidelines are followed properly. There are also several other criteria determined by the IOC (depending on the type of sport) to help establish the sport’s credibility.

HIstory of Karate’s Evaluation by the IOC

Karate has been voted on a several times by the IOC. In 2005, Karate was approved during the first voting round. However, it was booted from the evaluation process at the last minute. In 2009, Karate was once again denied access to the games.

The evaluation of Karate as a potential Olympic sport began a long time before it was voted on by the IOC. Personally, I am aware of the evaluations as early as 2001. During that year, I traveled to Europe to compete in the Irish Cup Championship in Dublin, Ireland. While there, the competition was observed by several representatives from the IOC. One of our team’s coaches told us they were interested in learning about the scoring system used by the AKJU (American Karate Ju-Jitsu Union).

Reasons why Karate isn’t an Olympic Sport

There may be several reasons. However, probably the most significant reason for Karate’s repeated denial from the games is that it is too political. Ok, so martial arts and politics don’t sound like they go together. Well, let’s break it down.

First, there are hundreds of variation of Karate around the globe. Some are very similar with only slight variations while others are completely different. For illustrative purposes, let’s compare the evolution of Karate to religion. Over thousands of years, Christianity has changed. It has broken in to hundreds of subsects – Baptists, Catholics, Protestants – they are all Christian. The same is true of Karate. The problem is that each style, as similar as they may be, there are disagreements about the “correct” execution of various elements of the martial art. By choosing one Karate organization over another, the IOC risks implying that one style is superior or more correct than another.

Another problem is that once the residing organization is choosen, competitors, regardless of style, will have to design their training to match the expectations of the Olympic games. The problem is that many students will spend years and years perfecting their art only to be told that they need to “start from scratch” to learn techniques that conform to Olympic guidelines.

References:

Official Website of the Olympic Movement

Karate Under Consideration for Olympic Games Addition