Karate is a martial art that primarily features punching, kicking, knee strikes, elbow strikes and open-hand techniques. Karate is the Japanese word for 'empty hands' and represents a form of self-defense.

The World Games 2022 will have events in two disciplines, Kata (forms) and Kumite (sparring).

In Kumite, two karatekas face each other. Competitors can use punches, kicks or takedowns against their opponents. Scores are given when techniques are performed with good form, excellent timing, vigorous application and correct distance.

To win, an athlete must either reach an 8-point advantage within the 3-minute round or have the most points at the end of the bout.

- Two groups of four athletes compete in every category. Round-robin matches are held in both groups.

- Best two athletes from each group qualify for crossed semi-finals

- Losing semi-finalists compete for Bronze. Winning semi-finalists compete for Gold and Silver.

More information can be found here.

The duration of the bouts are three minutes. The timing of the bouts starts when the Referee gives the signal to start, and stops each time the Referee calls 'Yame'. The “time up” signal marks the end of the bout.

To earn points, participants must land a punch or kick with proper form. Attacks are limited to Head, Face, Neck, Abdomen, Chest, Back and Side. There are no attacks on legs or feet permitted.

The result of a bout is determined by a contestant obtaining a clear lead of eight points, or having the highest number of points at time-up.

In case of a tie, the athlete who scored the first point is declared the winner.

In case of a scoreless bout, the judges will decide who is the winner.

One Head Referee will judge the sparring, with assistant referees at the side of the sparring area. The signs are explained in more detail here.

Any time the Referee calls 'Yame', the timekeeper shall give signals by a clearly audible bell, or buzzer, indicating “15 seconds to go” and “time up”.

An effective technique, delivered at the same time that the end of the bout is signalled, is considered valid. A technique even if effective, delivered after an order to suspend or stop the bout shall not be scored and may result in a penalty being imposed on the offender.

No technique, even if technically correct, will be scored if it is delivered when the two Competitors are outside the competition area. However, if one of the Competitors delivers an effective technique while still inside the competition area and before the Referee calls “YAME”, the technique will be scored.

If athletes step out of the ring, they typically receive a warning.

More information can be found here and here.

There are three different ways of scoring points.

Ippon (3 points) : An Ippon is awarded for kicks to the head or any scoring technique delivered on a thrown or fallen opponent.

Waza-Ari (2 points): A Waza-Ari is awarded for kicks to the midsection of the body.

Yuko (1 point) : A Yuko is awarded for punches to the head or the body of the opponent.

More information can be found here and here.

In Kumite,

Competitors receive sanctions for prohibited behaviour. There are two categories of sanctions:
- Category 1: Performing techniques with excessive contact, for attacks to the arms or legs, groin, joints, to the face or dangerous or forbidden throwing techniques. 
- Category 2: Feigning, or exaggerating injury, exit from the competition area, avoiding combat, passivity, discourteous behaviour towards the refereeing officials, or other breaches of etiquette.

There are three degrees of warning: Chukoku, Keikoku, and Hansoku Chui. A competitor receiving a fourth penalty (Hansoku) is declared the loser of the bout.

More information can be found here in article 8 and 9.

50kg Women

1. Alexandra RECCHIA (FRA)
2. Miho MIYAHARA (JPN)
3. Serap OZCELIK (TUR)

55kg Women

1. Valeria KUMIZAKI (BRA)
2. Tzu-Yun WEN (TPE)
3. Sara CARDIN (ITA)

60kg Men

1. Firdosi FARZALIYEV (AZE)
2. Amir MEHDIZADEH (IRI)
3. Matias GOMEZ GARCIA (ESP)

61kg Women

1. Alexandra GRANDE (PER)
2. Anita SEROGINA (UKR)
3. Ingrida SUCHANKOVA (SVK)

67kg Men

1. Steven DACOSTA (FRA)
2. Jordan THOMAS (GBR)
3. Deivis FERRERAS (DOM)

68kg Women

1. Lamya MATOUB (ALG)
2. Alisa Theresa BUCHINGER (AUT)
3. Kayo SOMEYA (JPN)

68kg+ Women

1. Ayumi UEKUSA (JPN)
2. Hamideh ABBASALI (IRI)
3. Anne Laure FLORENTIN (FRA)

75kg Men

1. Stanislav HORUNA (UKR)
2. Aliasghar ASIABARI (IRI)
3. Hernanit VERISSIMO (BRA)

84kg Men

1. Zabiollah POORSHAB (IRI)
2. Ryutaro ARAGA (JPN)
3. Ugur AKTAS (TUR)

84kg+ Men

1. Hideyoshi KAGAWA (JPN)
2. Sajad GANJZADEH (IRI)
3. Michal BABOS (POL)

50kg Women

1. Serap OZCELIK (TUR)
2. Alexandra RECCHIA (FRA)
3. Maria ALEXIADIS (AUS)

55kg Women

1. Lucie IGNACE (FRA)
2. Jelena KOVACEVIC (CRO)
3. Yassmin ATTIA (EGY)

60kg Men

1. Andres Felipe RENDON LLANOS (COL)
2. Douglas SANTOS BROSE (BRA)
3. El Mehdi BENROUIDA (MAR)

61kg Women

1. Lina Marcela GOMEZ ALZATE (COL)
2. Jacqueline FACTOS HENAO (ECU)
3. Olga MALOFEEVA (RUS)

67kg Men

1. Jose Guillermo RAMIREZ GUTIERREZ (COL)
2. Magdy Mamdouh MOHAMED (EGY)
3. Tsuneari YAHIRO (AUS)

68kg Women

1. Kayo SOMEYA (JPN)
2. Ana Maria ESCANDON LOAIZA (COL)
3. Cheryl MURPHY (USA)

68kg+ Women

1. Ayumi UEKUSA (JPN)
2. Nadege AIT IBRAHIM (FRA)
3. Isabel Mallory ACO BRAVO (PER)

75kg Men

1. Rafael AGHAYEV (AZE)
2. Noah BITSCH (GER)
3. Mohamed ALI (EGY)

84kg Men

1. Ryutaro ARAGA (JPN)
2. Hany Shaker KESHTA (EGY)
3. Michael Georgios TZANOS (GRE)

84kg+ Men

1. Jonathan HORNE (GER)
2. Angel David APONTE TIRADO (VEN)
3. Shahin ATAMOV (AZE)

53kg Women

1. Jelena KOVACEVIC (CRO)
2. Chen YEN HUI (TPE)
3. Gulderen CELIK (TUR)

60kg Men

1. Douglas SANTOS BROSE (BRA)
2. Wen-Haung HSIA (TPE)
3. Daniel DOMDJONI (CRO)

60kg Women

1. Maria SOBOL (RUS)
2. Eva MEDVEDOVA TULEJOVA (SVK)
3. Chang TING (TPE)

60kg+ Women

1. Arnela ONDZAKOVIC (BIH)
2. Tiffany FANJAT (FRA)
3. Silvia SPERNER (GER)

65kg Men

1. Adam S. KOVACS (HUN)
2. William ROLLE (FRA)
3. Omer KEMALOGLU (TUR)

70kg Men

1. Jean PENA (VEN)
2. Shinji NAGAKI (JPN)
3. Tamer MORSY (EGY)

75kg Men

1. Michael Georgios TZANOS (GRE)
2. Diego VANDESCHRICK (BEL)
3. Kou MATSUHISA (JPN)

80kg Men

1. Hao-yun HUANG (TPE)
2. Islamoutdin ELDAROUCHEV (RUS)
3. Konstantinos PAPADOPOULOS (GRE)

80kg+ Men

1. Jonathan HORNE (GER)
2. Spyridon MARGARITOPOULOS (GRE)
3. Almir CECUNJANIN (MNE)

open Men

1. Khalid KHALIDOV (KAZ)
2. Kestha HANY (EGY)
3. Almir CECUNJANIN (MNE)

open Women

1. Eva MEDVEDOVA TULEJOVA (SVK)
2. Letitia CARR (NZL)
3. Ema ANICIC (CRO)

53kg Women

1. Heba ALY (EGY)
2. Tomoko ARAGA (JPN)
3. Kora KNUEHMANN (GER)

60kg Men

1. Michele GIULIANI (ITA)
2. Yury KALASHNIKOV (RUS)
3. Miguel YEPEZ (VEN)

60kg Women

1. Snezana PERIC (SRB)
2. Maria MUSALL (GER)
3. Lejla FERHATBEGOVIC (BIH)

60kg+ Women

1. Nadine ZIEMER (GER)
2. Elisa AU (USA)
3. Tania WEEKES (GBR)

65kg Men

1. Dimitrios TRIANTAFYLLIS (GRE)
2. Luis PLUMACHER (VEN)
3. Christian GRUENER (GER)

70kg Men

1. Giuseppe DI DOMENICO (ITA)
2. Emilio OVIEDO RAMIREZ (MEX)
3. Sayguidmagomed SHAKHRUDINOV (RUS)

75kg Men

1. Koeksal CAKIR (GER)
2. Konstantinos PAPADOPOULOS (GRE)
3. Klaudio FARMADIN (SVK)

80kg Men

1. Islamoutdin ELDAROUCHEV (RUS)
2. Salvatore LORIA (ITA)
3. Philippe POIRIER (CAN)

80kg+ Men

1. Alexandr GUERUNOV (RUS)
2. Felix KUEHNLE (GER)
3. Alen ZAMLIC (CRO)

open Men

1. Alexandr GUERUNOV (RUS)
2. Shinji NAGAKI (JPN)
3. Mohamed EL SHEMY (EGY)

open Women

1. Yildiz ARAS (TUR)
2. Natasha HARDY (AUS)
3. Nadine ZIEMER (GER)

53kg Women

1. Sachiko MIYAMOTO (JPN)
2. Eri FUJIOKA (JPN)
3. Sari LAINE (FIN)

60kg Men

1. Kenichi IMAI (JPN)
2. Francesco ORTU (ITA)
3. Milo HODGE (GBR)

60kg Women

1. Karin PRINSLOO (RSA)
2. Kellie SHIMMINGS (AUT)
3. Roksanda LAZAREVIC (YUG)

60kg+ Women

1. Emiko HONMA (JPN)
2. Tessy SCHOLTES (LUX)
3. Tania WEEKES (GBR)

65kg Men

1. Jason LEDGISTER (GBR)
2. Jean PENA (VEN)
3. Yusuke INOKOSHI (JPN)

70kg Men

1. Yasuhisa INADA (JPN)
2. Yoshinori MATSUMOTO (JPN)
3. Hussien EL DE SOU KY (EGY)

75kg Men

1. Gennaro TALARICO (ITA)
2. Takahiro NIKI (JPN)
3. Adnan HADZIC (BIH)

80kg Men

1. Salvatore LORIA (ITA)
2. William FINEGAN (USA)
3. Ryosuke SHIMIZU (JPN)

80kg+ Men

1. Seydina BALDE (FRA)
2. Stefano MANISCALCO (ITA)
3. Leon WALTERS (GBR)

open Men

1. David FELIX (FRA)
2. Konstantinos PAPADOPOULOS (GRE)
3. Craig BURKE (GBR)

53kg Women

1. Jillian TONEY (GBR)
2. Eri FUJIOKA (JPN)
3. Michaela NANNI (ITA)

60kg Men

1. David LUQUE (ESP)
2. Michal SEBESTA (SVK)
3. Shinichiro YAMAMOTO (JPN)

60kg Women

1. Chiarastella BUX (ITA)
2. Julliet TONEY (GBR)
3. Mayuni BABA (JPN)

60kg+ Women

1. Yukiko YONEDA (JPN)
2. Christina MADRID (MEX)
3. Michaela FRYBLOVA (NOR)

65kg Men

1. Mark GOLDING (AUS)
2. Olli ORTIZ (FIN)
3. Jukka KOIVUNEN (FIN)

70kg Men

1. Claudio DELLA ROCCA (ITA)
2. Kimmo OBIORA (FIN)
3. Reza MONSHENI (SWE)

75kg Men

1. Salvatore LORIA (ITA)
2. Jussi IMMONEN (FIN)
3. Kazuaki MATSUMOTO (JPN)

80kg Men

1. Toshihito KOKUBUN (JPN)
2. Georg PETERMANN (AUT)
3. Simon ADOLFSSON (SWE)

80kg+ Men

1. Leon WALTERS (GBR)
2. Davide BENETELLO (ITA)
3. Gabriel BERG (SWE)

open Men

1. Ian COLE (GBR)
2. Manabu TAKENOUCHI (JPN)
3. Davide BENETELLO (ITA)

53kg Women

1. Ivonne SENFF (NED)
2. Marise MAZURIER (FRA)
3. Sari LAINE (FIN)

60kg Men

1. Norimassa FUJITA (JPN)
2. Fesani BUGUR (TUR)
3. Damien DOVY (FRA)

60kg Women

1. Molly SAMUELS (GBR)
2. Annelies BOUMA (NED)
3. Sari NYBACK (FIN)

60kg+ Women

1. Karin OLSEN (SWE)
2. Nurhan FIRAT (TUR)
3. Yukiko YONEDA (JPN)

65kg Men

1. Murat UYSAL (GER)
2. Michael BRAUN (FRA)
3. Jeffrey SNEL (NED)

70kg Men

1. Junichi WATANABE (JPN)
2. Massimiliano OGGIANO (ITA)
3. Ronny RIVANO (NED)

75kg Men

1. Wayne OTTO (GBR)
2. Gabriel BERG (SWE)
3. Saeed ASHITYAN (FIN)

80kg Men

1. Augustus PAUL (GBR)
2. Miko VIRKOLA (FIN)
3. Sami TIAINEN (FIN)

80kg+ Men

1. Marc HAMON (CAN)
2. Ian COLE (GBR)
3. Hans ROOVERS (NED)

open Men

1. Rob MOL (NED)
2. Marc HAMON (CAN)
3. Rogier ALKEN (NED)

53kg Women

1. Catherine GIRARDET (FRA)
2. Gerlinde BUDE (GER)
3. Shirley GRAHAM (GBR)

60kg Men

1. Stein ROENNING (NOR)
2. Nicola SIMMI (ITA)
3. Abdu SHAHER (GBR)

60kg Women

1. Brigitte THAELE (GER)
2. Annette BAILEY (GBR)
3. Akemi KIMURA (JPN)

60kg+ Women

1. Catherine BELRHITI (FRA)
2. Marie-Ange LEGROS (FRA)
3. Simone SCHREINER (GER)

65kg Men

1. Janne TIIMONEN (FIN)
2. Reginaldo DORAN (NED)
3. Jesus-Juan RUBIO (ESP)

70kg Men

1. Jorg REUS (GER)
2. William THOMAS (GBR)
3. Appie ECHTELD (NED)

75kg Men

1. Toni DIETL (GER)
2. Jim DOULA (SUI)
3. Kyo HAYASHI (JPN)

80kg Men

1. Gian LUCA GUAZZARONI (ITA)
2. Kemal AKTEPE (NED)
3. Ralf WINTERGARST (GER)

80kg+ Men

1. Claudio GUAZZARONI (ITA)
2. Ralf BRACHMANN (GER)
3. Ian COLE (GBR)

open Men

1. Claudio GUAZZARONI (ITA)
2. Yasumasa SHIMUZU (JPN)
3. Juergen MOELDNER (GER)

53kg Women

1. Catherine GIRARDET (FRA)
2. Yan LI (TPE)
3. C. SEQUARA (VEN)

60kg Men

1. Shinichi HASEGAWA (JPN)
2. Ino ALBERTO (NED)
3. Abdu SHAHER (GBR)

60kg Women

1. Beverly MORRIS (GBR)
2. G. BLACK (USA)
3. Kuei WANG (TPE)

60kg+ Women

1. Janice ARGYLE (GBR)
2. Rosa-Maria GHIDOTTI (ITA)
3. Stirre NYGAARD (NOR)

65kg Men

1. Roel VAN LOON (NED)
2. Arno LUND (NOR)
3. Ignacio LUGO (MEX)

70kg Men

1. Cecil HACKETT (GBR)
2. Jim COLLINS (GBR)
3. Kyo HAYASHI (JPN)

75kg Men

1. Yorihisa UHIDA (JPN)
2. Serge SERFATI (FRA)
3. Dale BEAM (USA)

80kg Men

1. Gian LUCA GUAZZARONI (ITA)
2. Pierre PINAR (FRA)
3. Arild ENGH (NOR)

80kg+ Men

1. Jeff THOMPSON (GBR)
2. Leslie JENSEN (SWE)
3. Karl DAGGFELDT (SWE)

open Men

1. Victor CHARLES (GBR)
2. Emmanuel PINDA (FRA)
3. Arild ENGH (NOR)

60kg Men

1. Masayuki NAITO (JPN)
2. Fernando ROSEUERO (ESP)
3. Guiseppe TINNIRELLO (ITA)

65kg Men

1. Yoshikazu ONO (JPN)
2. Toshiaki MAEDA (JPN)
3. Kesayoshi YOKOUCHI (JPN)

70kg Men

1. Cecil HACKETT (GBR)
2. Bernard BILICKY (FRA)
3. Selji NAHIMURA (JPN)

75kg Men

1. Lin-Ching MING (TPE)
2. Fred ROYERS (NED)
3. Angel LOPEZ (ESP)

80kg Men

1. Osamu KAMIKODO (JPN)
2. Hisao MURASE (JPN)
3. Otti ROETHOFF (NED)

80kg+ Men

1. Ludwig KOTZEBUE (NED)
2. Chen CHIEN (TPE)
3. Claudio GUAZZARONI (ITA)

open Men

1. Victor CHARLES (GBR)
2. Marc PYREE (FRA)
3. Billy BLANKS (USA)

• Douglas SANTOS BROSE(BRA): 4. in TWG2017, 2. in TWG2013, 1. in TWG2009
• Yves Martial TADISSI(HUN): 6. in TWG2017
• Thomas SCOTT(USA): 4. in TWG2017
• Andjelo KVESIC(CRO): 6. in TWG2017
• Rodrigo ROJAS(CHI): 7. in TWG2017
• Miho MIYAHARA(JPN): 2. in TWG2017
• Valeria KUMIZAKI(BRA): 1. in TWG2017
• Ingrida SUCHANKOVA(SVK): 3. in TWG2017
• Alexandra GRANDE(PER): 1. in TWG2017
• Anita SEROGINA(UKR): 2. in TWG2017
• Elena QUIRICI(SUI): 8. in TWG2017
• Kateryna KRYVA(UKR): 7. in TWG2017
• Stanislav HORUNA(UKR): 1. in TWG2017

Karate is a martial art that primarily features punching, kicking, knee strikes, elbow strikes and open-hand techniques. Karate is the Japanese word for 'empty hands' and represents a form of self-defence.

The World Games 2022 will have events in two disciplines, Kata (forms) and Kumite (sparring).

In Kata, athletes stand alone in the arena, doing a formalised sequence of movements which represent offensive and defensive postures. These target a virtual opponent. The ultimate goal of the Kata is to be able to be completely focused on the representation of the movements yet perform the sequences with great mastery, speed, precision, power, and fluidity.

The best performing athletes, all competing individually, will win the competition.

- Two groups of four athletes compete in a qualifying round in both genders. The best two athletes in each group qualify for crossed semi-finals.

- Winners of semi-finals will proceed to finals to compete for Gold and Silver. Losing semi-finalists compete for Bronze.

All Kata begin and end with a bow, or “Rei”, a testament to the sport’s values of respect and tradition.

There are 102 recognized 'katas', and the karateka chooses which kata they will demonstrate from these. Competitors are not allowed to use the same Kata twice.

A panel of seven judges evaluate the katas, including conformity with standards in form and style, technical performance focusing on movements, timing and synchronisation, as well as concentration, technical difficulty and athletic performance.

More information can be found here.

The judge panel use a point system to evaluate the performances.

The competitors are judged 70 per cent on their technical performance (stances, techniques, transitional movements, timing, correct breathing, focus and conformance) and 30 per cent on their athletic display (strength, speed and balance).

For Kata competition, penalties or fouls are considered for minor losses of balance, performing movements in incorrect manner, time wasting, loosening of the belt or use of audible clues.

Individual Men

1. Ryo KIYUNA (JPN)
2. Damian QUINTERO (ESP)
3. Antonio DIAZ (VEN)

Individual Women

1. Kiyou SHIMIZU (JPN)
2. Sandra SANCHEZ JAIME (ESP)
3. Sandy SCORDO (FRA)

Individual Men

1. Antonio DIAZ (VEN)
2. Ibrahim Magdy AHMED (EGY)
3. Ryo KIYUNA (JPN)

Individual Women

1. Sandy SCORDO (FRA)
2. Hoang Ngan NGUYEN (VIE)
3. Sara BATTAGLIA (ITA)

Individual Men

1. Luca VALDESI (ITA)
2. Minh DACK (FRA)
3. Antonio DIAZ (VEN)

Individual Women

1. Hoang Ngan NGUYEN (VIE)
2. Maria DIMITROVA (DOM)
3. Sara BATTAGLIA (ITA)

Individual Men

1. Antonio DIAZ (VEN)
2. Luca VALDESI (ITA)
3. Akio TAMASHIRO (PER)

Individual Women

1. Atsuko WAKAI (JPN)
2. Myriam SZKUDLAREK (FRA)
3. Ana-Sofia MARTINEZ (VEN)

Individual Men

1. Ryouki ABE (JPN)
2. Luca VALDESI (ITA)
3. Antonio DIAZ (VEN)

Individual Women

1. Atsuko WAKAI (JPN)
2. Johana SANCHEZ (VEN)
3. Junko ARAI (USA)

Individual Men

1. Ryouki ABE (JPN)
2. Lucio MAURINO (ITA)
3. Yukimitsu HASEGAWA (JPN)

Individual Women

1. Atsuko WAKAI (JPN)
2. Roberta SODERO (ITA)
3. Cinzia COLAIACOMO (ITA)

Individual Men

1. Ryouki ABE (JPN)
2. Pasquale ACRI (ITA)
3. Laurent RICCIO (FRA)

Individual Women

1. Yuki MIMURA (JPN)
2. Simone SCHREINER (GER)
3. Catherine BERNARD (FRA)

Individual Men

1. Tsuguo SAKUMOTO (JPN)
2. Dario MARCHINI (ITA)
3. Pasquale ACRI (ITA)

Individual Women

1. Yuki MIMURA (JPN)
2. Hisami YOKOYAMA (JPN)
3. Simone SCHREINER (GER)

Individual Men

1. Tsuguo SAKUMOTO (JPN)
2. Masashi KOYAMA (JPN)
3. Julio MARTINEZ (USA)

Individual Women

1. Mie NAKAYAMA (JPN)
2. Mey-Yueh CHU (TPE)
3. Setsuko TAJIMA (JPN)

Individual Men

1. Keji OKADA (JPN)
2. Masashi KOYAMA (JPN)
3. Domingo LLANOS (USA)

Individual Women

1. Susuko OKAMURA (JPN)
2. Mie NAKAYAMA (JPN)
3. Maria MORENO (ESP)

• Antonio DIAZ(VEN): 3. in TWG2017, 1. in TWG2013, 3. in TWG2009, 1. in TWG2005, 3. in TWG2001
• Damian QUINTERO(ESP): 2. in TWG2017
• Mattia BUSATO(ITA): 5. in TWG2017
• Sandra SANCHEZ JAIME(ESP): 2. in TWG2017
• Sakura KOKUMAI(USA): 4. in TWG2017
• Alexandrea ANACAN(NZL): 6. in TWG2017