Despite its recognition within the Olympic Movement, karate’s leadership remains dominated by a few, with women largely excluded from decision-making. Power is concentrated, voices are silenced, and the sport’s promise of inclusivity remains unfulfilled.
From the very beginning of its association with the International Olympic Committee, karate has been built on uneven foundations. In today’s fragmented karate world, those who rise to the top of federations appear more focused on preserving power than fostering dialogue or a collective vision. Consensus has given way to control, and conversation to domination.
Under the long-standing leadership of Spain’s Antonio Espinós, entire sectors of the sport have been left voiceless. They neither breathe nor speak, nor are they allowed to elect their representatives. Other karate organizations with far greater membership have been denied any real chance to participate or to realize the long-promised dream of inclusion within the Olympic Movement.
In such an environment, dignity has become little more than a slogan. Gender equality within karate remains elusive, as women are still largely excluded from the highest levels of leadership and decision-making. The Olympic Movement, once meant to represent inclusivity, has instead been used as a label to justify exclusivity and control.
The participation of women at the highest levels of decision-making in karate is strikingly low. Their exclusion from positions equal to men on federation boards is particularly concerning within the World Karate Federation, which is officially recognized by the Olympic Movement.
The executive board of the WKF has twenty-three members. Antonio Espinós, who also leads the European Karate Federation, has held both positions for twenty-six years without facing any electoral competition. Of the twenty-three seats on the board, only three are held by women. Samantha Desciderio from Mexico holds seat seventeen, Makarita Lenoa from Fiji holds seat eighteen, and Sarah Wennerstrom from Sweden holds seat twenty-three. All three serve only as members with no additional leadership responsibilities.
Representation of women on executive boards across continents is even lower. Asia and Africa have no female representation. In Europe, only one woman serves as a member with no additional role. In the Pan-American Karate Federation, just two out of nine seats are held by women. These numbers underline the persistent gender inequality in the governance of the sport.
Women’s participation in karate world championships
A look at women’s participation in karate across major continents reveals persistent inequality, despite the resources available to the World Karate Federation. The federation receives significant funding from the International Olympic Committee and its affiliated organizations, yet much of it is not used effectively to support the development of female athletes.
Participation in previous World Karate Championships highlights this gap. In 2018, as the WKF prepared for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, athlete turnout from the Americas, Africa, and Oceania remained low. The upcoming 2025 World Championships in Cairo show a similar trend. Out of 160 women competing across five kumite weight categories, only 15 athletes from 8 African countries are participating out of 54 eligible nations. That represents just 14.8 percent of potential participation on the continent.
In the Americas, where countries range from highly developed to emerging, female participation is slightly higher but still limited. Only 11 of 35 eligible countries are entering competitors in the women’s kumite weight categories in Cairo, totaling 31.4 percent participation. Participation in kata events is even lower.
Women’s representation in WKF governance
Women’s participation in decision-making roles within the World Karate Federation is alarmingly low and calls into question the federation’s alignment with the values of the Olympic Movement. This concern comes at a time when IOC president Kirsty Coventry is promoting programs centered on dignity in sport, and the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations is actively supporting good governance and increased female participation in sports management.
Out of 72 seats across the executive boards of the WKF and its continental branches in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Pan America, only six are held by women. This means women occupy just 8.3 percent of positions responsible for policy-making and planning within the federation.
The distribution of female representation across regions is highly uneven. In the Pan American Karate Federation, women hold 22.2 percent of executive board seats; in Europe, 7.2 percent; and in both Asia and Africa there are no women in executive roles.
Karate’s Olympic dream turns into a story of division
When karate was officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1999 with the support of then-president Juan Antonio Samaranch, the decision was expected to unite the sport and expand its global reach. Instead, it marked the beginning of deep divisions and growing centralization of power.
Rather than fostering inclusion, the World Karate Federation built a system that favored exclusivity. Under the leadership of Antonio Espinós, the organization received significant funding from the IOC and its affiliates, yet little of it translated into fair or strategic development, particularly across underrepresented regions. Espinós, who has led the federation for more than 26 years, focused on maintaining control through restrictive regulations. Provisions first introduced under Article 21.9, later reworded as Articles 6.3 and 8.2, are used to isolate parts of the karate community and limit participation outside the federation’s inner circle.
Traditional karate, despite a favorable ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, never received IOC recognition. Meanwhile, the WKF began to fracture internally. Elections for continental federations followed the same pattern as the world body, leaving little room for electoral competition.
In Pan America, William Millerson led for two decades before handing over the presidency unopposed in 2013 to José M. García Maañón, while battling cancer. In Asia, longtime leader Chang Kuang-Huei stepped down due to old age and was replaced, also without contest, by retired Dubai police general Nasser Al Sayed Abdulrazak Alrazooqi.
Today, what is known as “Olympic karate” under the control of the WKF represents only a fraction of the sport. It fails to include the range of karate disciplines practiced worldwide and has not fulfilled the promise that accompanied its Olympic recognition.
The version of karate that Samaranch once welcomed into the Olympic family now faces calls for serious reassessment, as questions grow over its governance, inclusivity, and the future of its Olympic status.
