In 200 days, on August 6, 2020, the 1st Olympic Games in Karate history will open, 50 years after the 1st World championships. An event that is well worth a retro from Tokyo to Tokyo, from 1970 to 2020. 5 decades rich in great exploits, incredible human adventures, punk fights...
The 1st World championships in Japan and France, the Dutch school of the 70s, the English armada of the 80s and 90s, the French squad of the 90s and 2000s, Valera, Pinda, Van Mourik, Egea, Otto, Milon, Aghayev, Busa… Each week, we will tell you a story that has contributed to write the great history of sports Karate. Episode 1 / the 1st Worlds in Japan : the “Nippon connection”
By Ludovic Mauchien / Photos : DR
In 1970, at the time of the organization of the 1st World championship in Tokyo, Karate was in its infancy. The JKA reigns, the Kyokushinkaï develops, the WKF takes its first steps.
The 1st continental championships have already appeared, in 1966 for Europe. France dominated its early years, notably a certain Dominique Valera, European champion in 1969 and 1970, the man chosen to beat the Japanese in Tokyo.
In 1969, an episode 0 of the Worlds took place in the Madison Square Garden in New York. The very 1st worldwide Karate meeting saw the win of Valera. “They called it the “World club”, reminds the French fighter, now 9th Dan. “This was the first time we fought with a controlled touch on the face and a knockout on the body. I remember that Bolo Yeung was participating (the unforgettable Bolo of Operation Dragon). In the final, I beat an American of 108 kg and 1.92 m !”.
At the time, there was only one weight category. The notation ? Waza and Ippon (= 2 waza). It was the time of the “killer blow”. No moving, no technical sequences, only the sweeps of Valera bring movement to this hyper static karate.
Traveling to Japan from Europe was quite an adventure. Some Frenchmen had already tested it in 1966, when the future French team left in old WWII car to Russia and then Japan. In 1970, they flew to Tokyo. But… “Going to the World championships was a real adventure !”, says Francis Didier, the president of the French federation who was on the trip. “We left at 12. We did Paris-Karachi, Karachi-New Delhi, New Delhi-Bangkok, Bangkok-Hong Kong, Hong Kong-Japan. It certainly was cheaper to make several stops...”.
The French dominate Europe. They wanted to show their power to the world and, above all, to the Japanese. To protect Japanese susceptibilities, two separate tournaments are organized : the individual (one category) in Tokyo, homeland of Shotokan, and the team tournament in Osaka, the heart of Shito ryu and Goju ryu. In all, 178 Karatekas from 33 countries would battle.
Stupor ! The Japanese line up 5 teams, the US 3 ! The French do not disassemble. But the wind is not blowing in their favor. The first podium in history ? Japan E, Japan C, Japan B.
The next day, in individual, bis repetita. Westerners are dispersed to the 4 corners of the tatami mats. But, in the end, they grab 3 of the 4 places on the podium. Canada's John Carnio rose to the final, US Tullener and Dominique Valera grab the bronze medal. “1970 was a sham World championship !”, still plague the Frenchman today. “Everything was done for the Japanese to win. It was a bit "rigged". As a team, we face them in the ½ final. I fought against a Japanese who was more screwing up rather than anything else. And I lost to the flag ! In individual, in ½ final, I fall against Wada. It happened again ! I did all the fighting. I rolled him back for 3 minutes. He did not take any initiative and I lost to the flag, 4-0, decision of 4… Japanese judges !!!”. Koji Wada thus became the 1st World champion in Karate history.
“We promised ourselves that it would not happen like that in Paris 2 years later”, reminds Valera. “And we did everything for. We trained a lot. We started to create a core, a French spirit. We were 15. There was a great thirst for revenge !”… But this is another story…
The 1970 World championship poster
