Karate: 11th Indian Ocean Islands Games – Madagascar |15 June 2023

Shihan Razafindrakoto conducting one of her sessions (Photo: Roland Duval)

Local fighters, official get acquainted with new competition rules and requirements

Following the inclusion of karate in the forthcoming 11th Indian Ocean Island Games scheduled for Madagascar in August, the sports local governing recently hosted a one-week seminar to update members of the national selection on the newest rules and requirements set by the World Karate Federation.

It was in January 2023 that the World Karate Federation (WKF) decided to make some rule changes to make karate tournaments more exciting, the most recent of which is the round-robin format.

For the past days, Malagasy karateka, Shihan Miora Razafindrakoto has been working with local athletes and officials, getting them acquainted to the recent changes.

Shihan Razafindrakoto is an individual silver medallist at the 1999 All-Africa Games in Johannesburg, South Africa, an individual gold medallist at the 2003 All-Africa Games in Abuja, Nigeria, and an individual bronze medallist at the 2007 All-Africa Games in Algiers, Algeria.

At the 2007 Indian Ocean Islands Games in Antananarivo, Madagascar she was a gold medallist in individual kata as well as in team kata 2.

She became a world referee in 2015, notably officiating at the 2019 African Games in Rabat.

As per the new regulations, which will be applied at the Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG), for kata the competition area will be a WKF approved matted square, with sides of eight metres (measured from the outside). There will be a clear safety area of two metres on each side.

Where an elevated competition area is used, the safety area should be of an additional one metre on each side.

Judges and the software technician will be placed side by side at a table at the end of the mat facing the competitors with the chief judge closest to the software technician who will sit at the far end of the table.

All judges and the software technician will placed in line in front of the official table, preferably behind a single table, while there must be no advertisement hoardings, walls, or pillars within one metre of the safety area's outer perimeter.

Coaches will be seated outside the safety area, on their respective sides of the tatami towards the official table, where the tatami area is elevated, the coaches will be placed outside the elevated area behind their respective competitors.

Regarding attire, based on the new regulations, competitors must wear a white WKF approved karategi without stripes, piping, or personal embroidery other than specifically allowed by the WKF EC and specified in the bulletin for the competition.

The national emblem or flag of the country will be worn on the left breast of the jacket and may not exceed an overall size of 12cm by 8cm, while only the original manufacturer’s labels can be displayed on the karategi.

In addition, identification issued by the organising committee will be worn on the back.

Speaking to Sports NATION, chairman of the Seychelles Karate Federation (SKF) Shihan Donald Celestine said the training was vital for Seychelles’ karate, not only as preparation for the forthcoming IOIG, but also to keep them abreast with the latest worldwide development in relation to the sport.

He further added that from now on, to compete in any international competition, it is crucial to know, and be in line with international norms.

As for the IOIG, Shihan Celestine said based on his assessment, especially during the training, he is confident that our local karatekas will achieve good results.

Roland Duval