Karate at the 2020 Summer Olympics
The karate competitions at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo will feature eight events. It will be the debut appearance of karate in the Olympics. Karate is part of the 2020 programme as one of five sports added specifically for 2020 rather than as a permanent sport. Two disciplines karate will be featured. Kumite ("grappling hands") is the sparring discipline and will have three weight classes each for men and women. Kata (martial arts) is the form discipline and will have one event each for men and women. Every event will consist of 10 competitors.
Full contact karate
One major format of full-contact sport karate is known as "knockdown karate" or sometimes "Japanese full contact karate". This style of sport fighting was developed and pioneered in the late 1960s by the Kyokushin karate organization in Japan, founded by Korean-Japanese . In fighting the competitors traditionally wear no gloves, padding or body protection other than groin guards (although local regulations sometimes enforce exceptions to this tradition), but it is bare knuckle fighting. Punches to the face, groin, and joint are prohibited but all bare-knuckle and elbow strikes to the body and limbs (with the exception of joints), and kicks (including kicks with the knee) against legs, arms, body, head and face are permitted, as are sweeps. Grabbing and holding the opponent, including clinching, is not allowed under the basic- knockdown karate rules as used in Kyokushin, but are occasionally allowed in some variations used in other styles.