Karate, a sport with deep roots and global reach, has struggled to gain significant traction in Africa. While the sport enjoys prominence in Europe and parts of Asia, it faces numerous challenges on the African continent, where it struggles to attract participants at both grassroots and competitive levels. This issue became glaringly evident during the recent Juniors, Cadets, and U21 tournament held in Tunisia, where alarmingly low participation numbers highlighted the sport’s waning appeal among African youth.
This lack of enthusiasm isn’t unique to Africa. Similar challenges plague karate in South America and parts of Asia, where the sport has also failed to captivate younger generations. The World Karate Federation, under President Antonio Espinós, has come under criticism for a perceived lack of strategic direction, especially following karate’s exclusion from the Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Frequent rule changes and a lack of coherent long-term planning have left national federations across the globe scrambling to maintain interest in the sport. This climate of instability has hindered creativity and effective talent identification, creating an atmosphere that many find repetitive and unappealing.
To gain deeper insights into the African karate landscape, we connected to Rwanda to meet Guy Didier, the founder of Sport Genix International. Didier’s organization not only discovers athletic talent but also provides a platform for young athletes to compete across various sports, including karate. His perspective, shaped by years of experience as both an athlete and administrator, offers a sobering view of karate’s struggles on the continent.
Guy Didier, the founder of Sport Genix International
Our conversation began with a reflection on karate’s underwhelming performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Despite the global anticipation surrounding karate’s Olympic debut, Africa’s contribution to the sport on the world stage has been minimal. At the 2018 World Karate Championships, Africa was represented by just 174 athletes out of 1,117 participants. Only four bronze medals were won by African nations, all from North Africa—two from Egypt, and one each from Morocco and Algeria.
This downward trend continued at the recent competition in Tunisia, where out of Africa’s 54 countries, only 25 sent athletes, with fewer than 400 participants overall. When asked why the WKF has been so ineffective in promoting the sport in Africa, Didier offered a candid and insightful response: “Participation in the WKF World Championships isn’t the biggest challenge. The real problem for many African Karate Federation (UFAK) member countries is a lack of proper training programs, financial support, and leadership within UFAK. The WKF provides financial support, but it’s often inadequate. How can an athlete compete at a world-class level without proper preparation or even a coach? In many cases, it’s the national federation president who travels with the athlete, rather than a coach. The WKF needs to rethink its support policies.”
Didier also highlighted the discrepancies between the International Olympic Committee’s support programs and the WKF’s qualification system for the Tokyo Games. “The qualification system simply didn’t reflect the realities of African nations, where resources are limited,” he said, pointing out that the IOC’s Olympic Solidarity programs weren’t aligned with the WKF’s processes, leaving many African nations at a disadvantage.
Karate’s struggles in Africa are mirrored in the sport’s underperformance on the continent in general. In 2018, only 282 senior athletes participated in continental competitions across Africa. While training programs for coaches and athletes were discussed at the time, Didier notes that the WKF and UFAK either failed to fully commit to these initiatives, or their efforts simply yielded no tangible results. “The ranking system for the World Championships, held every two years, has become another barrier,” he added.
To address these issues, Didier suggests that the WKF should look to other international sports federations, such as FIFA and FIBA, which have implemented successful development programs for countries with limited resources. “The WKF should revise its ranking system and introduce specific programs to support athletes from less wealthy federations,” he said.
Having represented Rwanda at the 2002 World Karate Championships in Madrid and served as Technical Director of the Rwandan Karate Federation, Didier brings a wealth of experience and a commitment to ethics in sports administration. His frustrations with the current WKF leadership, especially with President Antonio Espinós, echo the sentiments of many within the global karate community. Espinós, who has led the WKF since 1998, has come under fire for failing to unify the karate world and for the sport’s exclusion from the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“I’ve had the chance to meet several members at both UFAK and WKF levels, and most share the same opinion—that it’s time for a change in leadership,” Didier remarked. “But how can this change be implemented?”
As karate struggles to find its footing in Africa, the sport’s leaders face tough questions about their future strategy. Without meaningful reform and a renewed focus on supporting underrepresented regions, karate risks losing its already precarious foothold on the continent.
