Karate
Karate has two competition forms. In kumite, sparring, two athletes score with controlled punches, strikes and kicks: one point for a hand technique, two for a kick to the body and three for a kick to the head; a senior bout is three minutes, and a lead of eight points ends it. In kata, an athlete or a team of three performs a set sequence of techniques against imagined opponents, and judges decide the winner of each pair by majority vote.
New to karate? Start here
Which to watch first, and how long
Start with Kumite. Two athletes and a scoreboard: points for clean techniques.
- Kumite
- Three minutes of fighting time for seniors; ends early at an eight-point lead
- Kata
- One set form performed for judges
Lengths are from the rule book.
The big events, and why they matter
- 1Karate World ChampionshipsThe sport's own world title.Every 2 years · Holder: Egypt, the hosts
- 2Asian Games (karate)The top multi-sport title now that karate is off the Olympic programme.Every 4 years; held since 1994 · Holder: Aichi–Nagoya 2026
- 3Olympic Games (karate)Held at Tokyo 2020 only; not on the programme since.Once (Tokyo 2020)
India
- Karate World Championships: No medal; India is not in the all-time medal table
- Karate at the Asian Games: No medal
Countries to know
India and the nations that have done best, biggest titles first.
- JapanKarate World Championships: 99 golds, 56 silvers, 62 bronzes (latest 2025); Karate at the Asian Games: 35 golds, 11 silvers, 11 bronzes (latest 2026)
- FranceKarate World Championships: 59 golds, 45 silvers, 71 bronzes (latest 2025); Karate at the Olympic Games: 1 gold (latest 2020)
- SpainKarate World Championships: 24 golds, 32 silvers, 75 bronzes (latest 2023); Karate at the Olympic Games: 1 gold, 1 silver (latest 2020)
Who runs it
| Rules made by | World Karate Federation (WKF), Kumite Competition Rules and Kata Competition Rules, version 2026.0, valid from 1 January 2026 |
| International federation | World Karate Federation (WKF) |
| In India | Unsettled. The WKF's Indian member is the Karate India Organisation (KIO), affiliated since November 2021; the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) banned the KIO on 1 June 2026 from holding national championships or selecting Indian teams |
A published page should say that the WKF's member is the KIO and that the IOA has banned it, and not name a single body as the authority (FC section 6). Re-checked 2026-10-20: no later change found.
Where and when it is played
On a mat 8 metres square with a 2-metre safety area. The big events: the Karate World Championships every two years and the Asian Games every four years (karate since 1994).