How the karate world ranking works
How many points does a karateka get for winning the World Championships?
About two thousand. Karate adds up points for taking part, for each round won and for the final place, then multiplies the total by the event's factor. The World Championships have the biggest factor, 12; a continental championship or a Premier League event is 6.
| Event | Factor |
|---|---|
| World Championships | 12 |
| Continental championships (Asia, Africa, Europe, Pan America, Oceania) | 6 |
| Karate 1 Premier League | 6 |
| Karate 1 Series A | 5 |
| Karate 1 Youth League | 4 |
A result counts in full for a year, then at half value for a second year.
Kata (a set sequence of moves, judged) and kumite (sparring, by weight) have separate rankings. The ranking decides seeding and who may enter the Premier League; a separate standing decides places at the World Championships.
The one thing to remember: in karate every bout you win adds points; the event's factor then multiplies everything.
Points by place (before the factor)
| Place | Points |
|---|---|
| 1st | 100 |
| 2nd | 70 |
| 3rd (two) | 40 |
| 5th | 30 |
| 7th | 20 |
| 9th to 15th | 10 |
| Quarter-finalist not in the repechage | 20 |
On top of the place: 5 for taking part (only after fighting at least one bout), 10 for every round won, and in kata 10 for reaching the medal round. The Premier League starts with round-robin groups: the group winner gets 30, and second, third and fourth get at least 20, 10 and 5.
So for an elimination event: kumite = (5 + 10 per round + place) × factor; kata adds the 10 for the medal round.
The rules' own examples
- Winning a Premier League event: (5 + 30 for the group + 3 rounds × 10 + 100) × 6 = 990.
- Winning kata at a Series A event: (5 + 4 rounds × 10 + 10 + 100) × 5 = 775.
A worked example
Made up to show the arithmetic. A kumite fighter wins five rounds and the final at the World Championships: (5 + 5 × 10 + 100) × 12 = 1,860. A year later the same result is worth 930; after two years it is gone.
Byes and walk-overs
A bye earns only the 5 for taking part, unless the athlete wins the next bout, when it counts as a round won. A bout won because the opponent did not appear (kiken) earns 10.
Time
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| Up to a year after the event | 100% |
| The second year | 50% |
| After two years | 0 |
New points count from the day after the event ends. Continental championships held every other year keep full value in the year between.
The standings
- Karate 1 Premier League standing: all Premier League points in the calendar year, from zero each January. The leader in each category after the last event is the Grand Winner.
- World Championships standing: a two-year qualification period that starts with the previous World Championships. It begins with half the points from those championships, adds all Premier League and continental points, and has no decay.
Other rules
- At a continental championship, only one athlete per country per category earns ranking points; the country names that athlete when entering.
- The top 32 may enter the last Series A before the World Championships without earning extra points.
- Moving from junior to senior carries half the junior points across for one year. A senior who changes weight takes half the points to the new weight for a year and loses the old weight's points.
- An athlete who misses WKF events for two years drops off the ranking. Points can be frozen for up to 15 months for pregnancy.
Ties
In the standings: most golds, then silvers, then bronzes; then bouts won; then the points difference, points for and points against.
Variations
| Ranking | Covered here |
|---|---|
| Senior kata and kumite | Yes |
| U21, junior and cadet | Same system, own lists |
| Para-karate kata | Only World Championships (factor 12) and continental championships (factor 6); the World Championships' second-year half value runs until the next World Championships |