The 7th World Karate Championships in Kielce have concluded with Japan winning the highest number of medals. Lithuania has also recorded some important victories.
In any fight featuring a Polish karateka, the support from the audience was the strongest, but Japan and Lithuania have also managed to attract a lot of fans whose voices were audible. During the battles between Marek Wolny from Tarnowskie Góry and Lithuania’s Eventas Gužauskas or between Maciej Mazur and Japan’s Kembu Iriki, it sometimes even felt like a battle of the fans.
Out of the participating 40 national delegations, Japan won the most medals, but there were also contestants from Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Sweden, Bulgaria, Georgia and Azerbaijan who also scored major victories.
As it was emphasized by shihan Remigiusz Karpiński, President of Polish Shinkyokushinkai Karate Federation, the World Karate Organization treats Japan as a separate region – Europe is another one – which explains why it is represented by so many karatekas.
-Japan has definitely confirmed its dominant position. Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Georgia and Poland have also made their mark – shihan emphasizes. – One of the notable surprises was the South African delegation, which was only composed of 6 karatekas who were accompanied by a crew of about 60 people. The contestants gave their best efforts.
World Championships in Kielce
The event in Kielce was organized in a very professional way. The preparations have been going on since 2017 and they were disturbed many times, for example by the pandemic or the outbreak of war in Ukraine. I am pleased we finally made it happen – Kenji Midori, President of World Karate Organization, shared.
-We are very proud that a high-profile event like this took place in Kielce. It is also fantastic that the message behind the 7th edition of our championships was noticed. HEIWA means peace. Contestants showed each other a lot of respect. The fans’ support was also remarkable – although they were cheering for their favourites, they could also appreciate others’ wins – Tomasz Kęćko, President of Championships Organizing Committee said.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Sport and Tourism Anna Krupka remarked that the organization of such a big event in Kielce attracts the attention of the karate world to Poland. – I hope that the championships will strengthen Poland’s position on the world’s martial arts map, as well as that they will help Kielce write another chapter in the history of Polish sport – the deputy minister underlined.
