WKF President Antonio Espinós, second left, provided updates to National Federations on developments in karate ©WKF

The World Karate Federation (WKF) has postponed a decision on increasing the number of athletes per team in women's team kumite competitions, it was revealed by President Antonio Espinós during a call with nearly 100 National Federations.

Women's teams in the kumite discipline currently comprise of three to four members, with a minimum of three competing in the initial round and two in following rounds.

Men's teams in kumite feature five to seven athletes.

However, Espinós told National Federations that it would delay a decision to increase the number of athletes in women's teams due to their feedback in a survey.

The online meeting aimed to update National Federations on developments in the sport, including its application to return to the Olympic Games at Los Angeles 2028 having made its debut at Tokyo 2020 but missed out on Paris 2024.

The programme for Los Angeles 2028 is expected to be finalised at the International Olympic Committee Session in Mumbai in October.

Karate is one of nine additional sports being considered for inclusion alongside the initial selection of 28.

Espinós highlighted the progress of karate during the meeting, and emphasised the importance of feedback from National Federations.

Nearly 100 National Federations attended the online meeting with the WKF ©WKF
Nearly 100 National Federations attended the online meeting with the WKF ©WKF

"The WKF will never stop innovating and providing more opportunities for our sport," the Spanish official, WKF President since 1998, said.

"Our goal is to continue elevating karate even more and to continue taking the sport to new heights.

"To ensure that karate keeps on developing, the feedback and cooperation of the National Federations is crucial.

"The progress of Karate is at the core of our decisions.

"For this reason, we have implemented ground-breaking initiatives such as the electronic scoring system in Kumite through joysticks.

"We are convinced that this project will contribute to the growth of our sport, and it will help us reach those who are less familiar with karate, with a special focus on the TV spectators."

The WKF is hopeful of an Olympic return for karate at Los Angeles 2028 after its debut as an additional sport at Tokyo 2020 ©Getty Images
The WKF is hopeful of an Olympic return for karate at Los Angeles 2028 after its debut as an additional sport at Tokyo 2020 ©Getty Images

The meeting also covered updates on the programme for disadvantaged National Federations at the World Senior Championships in Hungary's capital Budapest, scheduled for October 24 to 29.

Espinós thanked National Federations for their support of the WKF in the build-up to its flagship event.

"As we are moving to a historic edition of the World Senior Championships in Budapest, I want to thank all the representatives of the National Federations for demonstrating, day after day, the unity and the values of our sport," he added.

The WKF has 200 member National Federations.