While some IF leaders may have chosen to put their head below the parapet after the disappointment of missing out on the Olympics, World Karate Federation (WKF) President Espinós chose to take aim at the IOC.

Two years after his outburst at the IOC and Paris 2024 for their failure to select karate, Espinós was back in the same position issuing criticism to those that snubbed his sport’s bid for the Olympics once again following their Los Angeles 2028 omission.

Espinós has led the WKF for quarter of a century and during that time he played a huge role in securing karate’s place at the Olympics for the first time at Tokyo 2020.

But the 76-year-old Spanish official is refusing to settle for one moment under the Olympic spotlight as he fights to make karate a permanent fixture in the Games.

“It is a disaster," said Espinós when asked about the financial impact of not getting into LA 2028.

"To be or not to be in the Olympics is life changing for a federation.

"We have 200 National Federations and if we were Olympic the increase in support at the national level will multiply by 200 in each federation.

"The IOC should know what the consequences are of this decision."

Espinós is mystified by the IOC’s thinking given the success of karate’s debut at the delayed Olympics in Tokyo two years ago.

According to data found by Intelligent Research in Sponsoring, karate achieved a net television reach of more than 48 million spectators while another report commissioned by the WKF revealed that over 53 million people declared themselves interested in the sport during the Games.

“We do not know what the key is [to get into the Olympics] because the IOC do not tell anybody," said Espinós.

"If TV was the key then we should be in it because they know what happened in Tokyo."

There is no doubting karate is a popular sport, played around the world with participation levels continuing to rise.

This week’s record-breaking Karate World Championships has proven just that with more than 1,000 athletes from over 100 countries participating in Budapest.

But what the WKF’s flagship event has also proven is that karate must improve the way it is presented both for TV viewers and spectators in the venue and be media friendly.

One thing I soon realised when I arrived for the first day of competition is that I wish I had packed my binoculars.

It is something I used to bring with me during my years reporting on English rugby union to enable me to see what skulduggery was going on among the pack of forwards and to even spot a player crashing over the tryline.

But I never expected to need my binoculars when covering karate yet it would have been very helpful given the position of the media tribune.

It felt like the media had been an afterthought with temporary press seating pushed into the far corner, well away from the main court where the VIPs were given prime spots.

A torch would have come in handy as well today for the first day of finals with the media area left in almost darkness.

Photographers also expressed their frustration at not being able to get close enough to the action and raised concerns over the safety of the standing platform.

"That’s why we are not Olympic," said one karate photographer when speaking about the positioning of the press in the venue.

Delays in receiving results was also a big issue experienced during the World Championships while finding the names of athletes coming in the women's and men's team kumite competition proved almost impossible at times.

There appears to be no reason why this information cannot be made available to not only the press but the public.

Why can't athletes wear their names on their backs rather than just their country?

Rivalries and personalities are so important in sport yet the spectators were not made aware when a well-known figure such as Olympic champion Steven Da Costa was competing in kumite team competition.

Speaking to people who have been in the sport for many years, karate has certainly come a long way with the addition of electronic scoring and timing.

Joysticks are making their debut at the World Championships with the referees using them instead of holding flags to signal for a score in kumite competition.

But there is clearly still plenty of room for improvement to make the sport easier to watch and understand.

Scores on the big screens hanging from the roof at the Papp László Budapest Sports Arena were too small to read and they did not even show the results of the kata finals to those in the venue.

There were also far too many finals and bronze-medal matches crammed in on one day which I am sure is exhausting for even the most ardent fan of the sport.

There was hardly a moment to catch a breath between the matches running from 9.30am until 8.30pm today.

The use of six tatamis for the first four days of competition was also difficult viewing with spectators not knowing where to focus their attention and the scores of each round not clearly visible.

"There is sometimes too much going on," said Espinós.

"With so many things happening it can really be beyond the control of things. 

"If there are conflicts or issues across six tatamis you multiple them by six."

Espinós hopes the decision to spit the individual and team competitions into two separate World Championships will solve these issues.

Pamplona in Spain is set to host the World Senior Team Championships in 2024 before Cairo holds the World Senior Individual Championships the following year.

The Egyptian capital is expected to host around 384 athletes which should show that quality is more than quantity when it comes to showcasing an event and Espinós welcomes the changes.

"The sports presentation is very important and we are working on our image for TV," said Espinós. 

"It’s a different picture you get when you are a live spectator in the stadium compared to what you see on TV.

"We will continue working and make it a better federation and sport. 

"There has been a big change in the World Karate Federation over the past 10 years and at the same time we have been trying to convince the IOC that a sport like karate deserves to be in the initial sports programme."

Espinós is clearly refusing to give up hope of an Olympic return but changes need to be made to ensure karate has the best chance possible to achieve that goal.