Olympic vote for Rugby & Golf and Karate gets a NO!

OLYMPIC VOTE - Rugby, Golf, not Karate

Most of you have heard the sad news:
The IOC voted Golf and Rugby in for possible 2016 inclusion, instead of Karate...

What next?

I have had the prize of Olympic inclusion dangled in front of me as an athlete since 1986!
Now as a coach it is extremely hard to maintain that desire for success in our athletes when we are faced with ridiculous decisions like this one from the IOC.

Is it all over for 2016?

Neither Golf nor Rugby have been confirmed they have only been recommended.
There is a final vote on the 8th of October where the IOC members hear the two "recommended" sports' presentations.
The bottom line is that while Golf and Rugby obviously have an advantage due to the obvious support from IOC President Jacques Rogge, this time it won't be just 14 people in a room voting that can be more easily swayed, but rather a much larger number that will hopefully give us a statistical edge over politics.

Karate could still get voted in for 2016 in October by a majority vote!

A Key factor in the application is that the WKF claims a membership of over 65 million participants worldwide.

So it is now up to the worldwide Karate community to ensure that our sport gets the coverage and hype needed to make it a popular sport for the viewing audience. Snowboarding and BMX worked dilligently to build their profile over the years until they finally achieved IOC selection, nothing is impossible. However the controversial events that happen at every Olympics within the Taekwondo (athlete kicks refereee) and the boxing decisions does make it tough for the WKF to be given an unbiased vote.

Fingers crossed for the 8th of October, however as we learn with our training "success is preparation on purpose". Has the WKF prepared satisfactorily for the bout ahead?

Only time will tell.

Visit our website to keep updated with future developments.

Yours in Karate,

Shihan