[Special Feature: Tokyo 2020 and Keio University] <Management of the Tokyo 2020 Karate Competition> Karate's Long-Awaited Olympic Debut and the Role Played by Keio University alumni

2021/12/16

At this summer's Tokyo 2020, the Karate competition was held for the first time in Olympic history at the Nippon Budokan. It was a historic moment that realized the long-held dream of Karate practitioners worldwide for an Olympic debut. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who supported and cooperated in every aspect, from the realization of this dream to the management of the competition on the day.

Looking at the roles and achievements of the Keio University Karate Club and the members of the Mita Karate Club throughout the history of Karate leading up to this point, it is clear that they were deeply involved and directly linked to the Olympic debut—by an invisible thread in the first half, and literally by a thick thread in the second half.

In 1924, Masahiro Kasuya, a professor at the Faculty of Law, invited Gichin Funakoshi, who would later be called the father of modern Karate, to Keio University, leading to the birth of the "Karate Research Society," the world's first university Karate club. Five years later, the characters for Karate were changed from "Tang Hand" to "Empty Hand," and the striking martial art that had been passed down from father to son in Okinawa began its path as a Japanese martial art (Budo).

In 1957, through the efforts of individuals from Keio University, Takushoku University, the University of Tokyo, and others, the world's first Karate competition (Kumite) was held, which became the prototype for today's Olympic competition. This was the moment Karate was born as a safe sporting competition while maintaining the essence of Budo. Members of the Mita Karate Club, including Goro Shimokawa, Isao Obata, Shuntaro Ito, Fusajiro Takagi, Akiyoshi Iwamoto, Kinichi Mashimo, and Tetsuo Yoshiwada, were deeply involved in this history.

Karate subsequently spread rapidly throughout the world, and in 1970, the World Karate Federation (WKF) was established and the 1st World Championships were held. Here, Koji Wada, a member of the Keio University Karate Club, achieved a brilliant victory, demonstrating the presence of Keio University Karate even at the debut of international sport Karate.

As time passed, the WKF developed activities with the goal of becoming an Olympic sport, and Fusajiro Takagi played a central role here as well. However, the barrier of the IOC was high, and it took nearly 30 years to become a recognized organization. In the evaluations for inclusion as an official sport, Karate suffered the misfortune of being rejected three consecutive times after reaching the final selection, including for 2013 (Tokyo 2020).

In 2013, immediately after the rejection for Tokyo 2020, I was appointed as a WKF Director through a process that could be called almost accidental, and just one year later, I was appointed General Secretary. Shortly thereafter, the "IOC AGENDA 2020" reform plan was announced, and coincidentally, the possibility of Karate's revival as an "additional event" recommended by the Organizing Committee for Tokyo 2020 began to take on a sense of reality.

The Olympic campaign in Tokyo became a major project involving various sectors, but it ultimately achieved great success and was finally approved as an additional sport for Tokyo 2020 at the IOC Session in 2016.

Within this project, Akio Kondo (currently Vice President of the Mita Karate Club) provided the most prominent support in both material and spiritual terms, and Kazuhiro Satomi (currently Director of the Mita Karate Club) took on the role of overseeing the Olympic Task Force of the Japan Karate Federation. And the ultimate contribution was likely from Toshie Murata (currently Director of the Mita Karate Club), who served as the "Sports Manager," the highest authority in the Sports Department of the Organizing Committee.

In this way, Karate's Olympic debut was achieved through the strong bonds of many Karate enthusiasts, especially Keio University alumni. It was an experience that made me deeply feel the meaning of the words, "Meeting the right time, occupying the right place, and gaining the harmony of people leads to great achievements."

Regarding the actual management, I would like to leave that to Mr. Murata's writing.