Since February 21, 2019, the disaster has settled in the spans of Karate. Even before partying, everyone has a hangover. Karatekas will see Tokyo and die. Paris, it's over.
But is it definitely done ? Have the hopes to see the Olympics 2024 completely gone ? The reason would say yes. The heart, which has its reasons, pushes to think that the 2024 Olympics doesn’t yet belong to history for Karate.
Between action and resignation, space remains for redemption. It will be a way of the cross with sharp thorns, where the sacred union is not a choice but an obligation. But the path of hope remain open.
The facts, the examples of Judo and Taekwondo, the interviews of the French federation leaders, Francis Didier and Dominique Charré... Actions carried out and reasons to hope, or not...
By Ludovic Mauchien / Photo : LM / Kphotos
In France, as internationally, it was obvious. And everyone had the naivety to believe in the evidence that ultimately was not one. After the Olympic baptism in Tokyo 2020, no one can imagine that Karate is not included in the 2024 Olympics which, moreover, takes place in Paris ? Because, in France, Karate is not a load of rubbish. How can we believe that the 12th sports federation in France (out of 100), its 253,000 licensees in 2018 (less than 200,000 in Karate) and its 5,000 clubs, is game over ?
However, on February 21, 2019, the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (OCOG) proposed 4 additional sports, climbing, surfing and skateboarding, present for the 1st time in Tokyo, and Breakdance. Baseball and Karate are not retained, as well as twenty other sports. In March, the IOC Executive Board gave its favorable recommendation on this choice. On June 25, the IOC session unsurprisingly ratifies it. Officially, it's done !
1-Reasons for hope
Reason n°1
In the Olympic agenda, IOC president Thomas Bach has always given the date of December 2020 for the officialization of the number of athletes and disciplines present in Paris. For the 2020 edition, Tokyo's OCOG has proposed 2 sports, baseball and Karate (the 2 that were excluded for Paris 2024). The choice was ratified. This did not stop the IOC president to later add 3 other sports. We can imagine that nothing can stop Thomas Bach from doing it again. In short, the day of reckoning for the optimists is December 2020, or even beyond. The final program for Tokyo 2020 was formalized just before the summer, one year before the Games. By then, time has come for mobilization and action.
Yes but…
Why would Thomas Bach change his mind to mobilize for Karate and defend its presence in Paris ? Why would he go against the Paris 2024 OCOG ? That's the point ! For now, no reason is appearing on the horizon. And there is no objective reason or legal possibility for the OCOG to reconsider its decision. So... Let’s mobilize ! The only way for hope is political, diplomatic and popular lobbying.
But, for it to be effective and to achieve its ultimate goal, the inclusion of Karate in 2024, it seems necessary to know the reasons for its exclusion. This is the one that hurts most the karate world (with the calendar of the announcement). This is also the reason why no one has seen the unthinkable coming.
“A few weeks before the announcement, the OCOG members reassured us about our candidature”, says Dominique Charré, the French federation technical director. “We were fulfilling all the goals in the concept of the Games. We ticked all the boxes”.
Obviously, they were not all ticked... To motivate the IOC, filling some of them would be welcome. First, they have to be identified and, to do so, the right questions have to be asked and answered. To receive, we have to give...
Reason n°2
It is sometimes difficult to explain the inexplicable, to be Cartesian when surrealism (in reaction to traditionalism) has taken the sunlight. Explaining concretely the exclusion of Karate from the OG 2024 could be to give abstract reasoning, at least on the background.
But it is also what makes the credibility of its (re)quest, the strength of its action. How is a sport like Karate, universally known, practiced worldwide, not Olympic ? Moreover, the majority of the uninitiated were convinced that Karate is Olympic for a very long time. If there are concrete explanations (see below), they are mostly political but do not concern the practice itself.
The lack of official explanations is one of the issues that most appeals to Parliamentarians, who do not seem to understand the logic of this choice. They are also moved for the athletes. For the latter, whatever happens, the party will inevitably taste acid since Tokyo will be the first and last. An additional pressure to manage which they would have loved to miss.
Finally, Karate, it's “only” 80 athletes and a limited equipment that requires no investment. In short, not enough to revolutionize the centennial olympic festival. It would therefore technically be possible to include Karate in the Games.
Yes but…
For the uninitiated to combat sports, most of whom think that Karate is Olympic for a long time, Taekwondo is about the same. And it is already in place, like many combat sports (judo, boxing, fencing, wrestling). The IOC, made up of a number of noninitiated, believes that the number of combat sports is sufficient, like for racket sports (tennis, ping-pong, badminton) which handicap squash.
In addition, Thomas Bach has shown since his election a will to refresh and rejuvenate the Mastodon. For Tokyo, in addition to the OCOG proposal, he added 3 sports : climbing, surfing and skateboarding. Their common point ? Social networks in fusion, a flourishing success at the X-Games and the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), identified stars, a (very) young audience.
October 2018, 5th edition of the YOG in Buenos Aires. Thomas Bach recovers his 20 years by visiting the Breakdance tournament, discovering a boosted atmosphere (it must be said that music, it helps to create an atmosphere). He is charmed ! This will be less the case with Karate, which offers a so-so tournament. it does not score points. A few months before the announcement of additional sports by the OCOG, it doesn’t occur well. This will certainly prove fatal.
Reason n°3
- Palais Omnisports of Paris-Bercy. 21st World Karate championships. A popular event like Karate (and many sports) have never known. 10 to 15 000 spectators a day, a jovial atmosphere, an audience of enthusiasts, some athletic achievements... Sport as we like it.
May 2020. AccorHotels Arena (formerly Bercy). Olympic Qualification Tournament. Yes, the ultimate chance to compete in the Tokyo Olympics will be played in France ! The French federation showed that it knew how to organize, Karatekas showed that they knew how to mobilize. A popular success of the OQT, which is a probability quite conceivable to this day, would strengthen the credibility of Karate, especially in France.
Yes, but…
Success or not, it will not solve the fundamental problem, which is to change Thomas Bach’s mind. But that can help.
Reason n°4
The French team has always been in the top of international karate. It is legitimately in a position to hope winning medals in Tokyo. And a sport that wins, it is not put to be thrown away. This is one of the assets that could play in favor of a broader mobilization behind karate.
“For us, in Tokyo, the goal is clearly to have medals !”, declares the French president, Francis Didier. "This is one of the facets that will prove us right. The press may take it by saying to the OCOG : "You did not take Karate while they made medals ? ! It's incomprehensible !”. The boomerang may come back from that ».
B- Actions carried out
Since February, meetings have multiplied. Francis Didier and Dominique Charré were notably listened by the members of parliament through the OG 2024 working group last May (1). With Antonio Espinos, they also met the French Sports Minister. Other actions have also been launched.
In France
In France, the mobilization has been organsized. 1st action launched in March at the European championships, “Belt of Hope”. The concept created by Publicis Sport ? Send it to parliamentarians, ambassadors, sports ministers of foreign countries... Give it as much as possible internationally, in short, inform, question, initiate support, develop meetings...
"In early September (2019), the belt was distributed to all French parliamentarians," said Dominique Charré, the National Technical Director of the French federation. “Almost 1,000 MPs and senators have received it or will receive it. We went through our local committees. On September 3, 58 parliamentarians posted themselves on social networks with the belt, the hashtags "Belt of Hope" and "Karate 2024". They point out that they support Karate in its search for a modification of the program of the Paris 2024 Games, as well as its search for elements of explanation of the rejection of Karate.
We will solicit other institutions. We have already been received at the Parliament with the president (Francis Didier) by the sports commission (1), we were received at the assembly of Mayors. We still have other contacts.
What is the idea ? Keep alert all the French officials and parliamentarians. They are politicians and, finally, the rejection of Karate is also, in a way, the rejection of a very large number of territories in which there is Karate. Today, there is no Mayor of a city of 5000 people who does not know Karatekas, since he has already awarded medals, visited competitions or assemblies. Almost all cities have this common point : their young athletes who could represent their territory, believe and dream, well, they are excluded from that !”.
Internationally
Time is not for settling of scores, even if some incumbent the responsibility of the failure to the French federation. Time is up to action. Change is not for now, but tomorrow is today if we want to see Karate in Paris. In short, Karate has no time to lose if it still wants to exist at the Olympics.
Concerning lobbying, the action is not limited to the French territory. The Federation suggested the idea of contacting African countries first, through sport but also diplomacy. “In the choice of the additional sports, Africa is set aside”, says Dominique Charré. "With Karate, it could have had athletes. I pointed this out to President Espinos, because that is the responsibility of the International federation. This can take several forms : some contacts between African Ministers and the French Foreign affairs minister, visits to ambassadors... I think, indeed, that there are actions that can be undertaken and that can report to a member of the French government who is not the Sports Minister but the Minister of Foreign Affairs that many countries are dissatisfied with the decision !”. Several presidents of national federations are ready to act in this direction.
On its side, the WKF prefer to remain discreet. The approach of the International Federation and its president, Antonio Espinos ? Prudence. The official position is not to express itself until the Tokyo Olympics to avoid taking risks.
C- And Taekwondo, « why is it Olympic ?” »
May 2019. Manchester Arena. Taekwondo World championships. The last time I had covered a competition of this level, the international federation was still called WTF, not for "What the Fuck", and that is why, after more than 4 decades, they decided to call themselves WT, for World Taekwondo.
Nobody is perfect but they are Olympic. One of the particularities of Taekwondo is to constantly evolve, change, to (better) please the wishes of the IOC. But not only. The WT and its president are open to evolution.
More than a competition, it is a show that is proposed, as during the Grand-Prix, the Karate 1 of Taekwondo. Sometimes, as in China, the fighters enter the arena through a helmet of... Taekwondo made to human size, with the light that does the rest.
Sport looks less and less like martial art and it is increasingly difficult to find a semblance of the concept of efficiency in techniques. Is not combat sport a form of martial art ? “Karate may still be martial but we are in the Olympics”, answered a senior WT officer. A choice totally assumed and claimed.
Thomas Bach wants to rejuvenate the Olympics ? Teens are all taped on the screens ? No problem. The governing bodies of Taekwondo have the solution, have a vision. The regulations will evolve in this direction. From now on, touching and not hitting is enough to score, defense is sanctioned, only attack counts, from which result high scores. Each action is punctuated by a ringtone. It's like an electronic game ! Or like being in the Madison Square Garden. It's the NBA of punch and kick sports ! A vision fully assumed.
In 2000, Pascal Gentil's KOs chocked the IOC. KO has disappeared. In 2020, Taekwondo makes its show. The WT invests a lot in decorum. The specifications are imposed and obligatorily respected. Electronics (breasts, helmets, hands, feet) and video are priority tools. The latest idea, announced in mid-September by Chungwon Choue, the WT president ? The introduction of 4D cameras at the Tokyo Olympics to offer 360 ° slow action to the assistance ! Because in Taekwondo, when referees watch videos (with 3 or 4 different angles), everyone also looks at them on a giant screen.
Referees precisely. For the past ten years, they have been physically tested. The principle ? High level requires high level. This logically considerably rejuvenated the referees body and modified the state of mind. Before Sensei, now Kohai, they serve the sport and the performance of the champions.
Taekwondo has been very far in its thinking and its evolving. Should Karate go that far ? Does the Karate world want to change so much ? Is not this now the way to go to not stay apart, alone ?...
D- Judo, Olympic since 1964
Tokyo, Nippon Budokan, August 2019, Judo World championships. A week before the Tokyo K1, took place the Judo Worlds, an Olympic sport since 1964, and the Tokyo... Games. We were there too (at the Worlds, not in 1964).
Since 2007 and the election of Marius Vizer to the international presidency, the form of competitions has significantly changed, and sponsors have developed. The IOC wants to feminize sports? No problem. An updating and everything goes again. The IJF creates the mixed team tournament. 5 fighters (+2 substitutes), 2 women, 3 men. The formula is tested since the 2017 World championships. It will be presented at the Tokyo Olympics.
At the Worlds, the format is played like music paper. 2 categories per day, one female, one male, spread over 7 days (+ one dedicated to the team tournament).
The competition starts at 9 or 10am by the elimination rounds. ½ finals and repechages are done before the 2h break at the end of the day. The 2 finals and the 4 fights for the bronze are held from 19h. The final show lasts approximately 1h30.
The daily distribution of medals allows each story to have a beginning and an end, a scenario conducive to media coverage. Athletes also must stop in the mixed zone, the only and mandatory way to go back to the warm-up area. In short, an organization conceived for communication and media coverage with affordable TV rights. The outcome ? Judo is regularly broadcasted on free TV channels.
E- Karate: too young for the old, too old for the young?
Life comes down to opportunities, success in seizing them, what is commonly called "THE" luck. For many reasons, Karate never knew how to seize them. What makes it so rich - this multiplicity of approaches and styles - has also caused its Olympic loss. As early as the 1980’s, international and federal dissensions in the midst of a tradition-evolution conflict let the train pass. Not taekwondo, the close cousin, the fraternal enemy.
A modern conglomerate of the 9 traditional schools forcibly joined together by a general, it is a demonstration sport in 1988 in Seoul, at the request of the Korean OCOG and the IOC Vice President, also the president of the International Taekwondo Federation, who has since been imprisoned. Bis repetita in Barcelona in 1992.
Taekwondo joins the family of 28 (Olympic sports) at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Karate must now run faster, higher and stronger to catch the train. This will be the fight of the 90's generation.
In the 2000’s, Karate has never been so close to ensuring a long Olympic life. In 2005 in Singapore, as in 2009 in Copenhagen, it should have integrated "the family", that of the 28, not as a demonstration or additional sport, but to enter "the family". It missed it for... one single vote ! Certainly not mature enough, karate has missed its chance.
Another one occurred, but differently. From now on, a sport is proposed by the host city, without going through the heart : integrating "the family". This is what happens for Karate in Tokyo. Even its presence in Paris 2024 would not guarantee its permanence at the Games.
Yesterday too young to be with the old, today too old to be with young people, maybe, finally, Karate(-Do) cannot find its way in the Olympics... A sign ?
To come :
Francis Didier : “Nothing stops !”
Dominique Charré : "Our questions are shared by parliamentarians”
(1)
