VENEZIA – The World Youth Karate Championships arrive in Italy for the first time. The Palazzo del Turismo in Jesolo will host the 2000 athletes, who will come from 113 nations, from Wednesday 9th to Sunday 13th October. The event is organized by Fijlkam in collaboration with the local Multisport Veneto committee. Davide Benetello, president of the Italian federation, presenting the event in Venice, said: “This will be the first world championship ever organized in Italy and has numbers never seen before, in terms of the presence of athletes and countries represented. Jesolo is one of the best organizations in the world. And it’s the city where I was born. I grew up on the sand of Jesolo, for me it is a dream come true to be able to host the whole world of youth karate here. For the organisation, in addition to the Municipality of Jesolo and the Veneto Region, I thank the Ministry for Sport and Youth”.
Sustainable news
The youth world championships, which are held every two years and are reserved for the U21, Juniores and Cadet categories, represent the most prestigious junior tournament for the World Karate Federation (WKF). This year, the Italian organization has introduced several innovations: there will be the first tatami made with plastic-free materials, mobility will be completely electric and a reforestation project in Lio Piccolo will be supported. Adidas merchandising will have zero environmental impact. Antonio Espinos, world president of the federation, says: “For me this event is special. When I was elected in Rio de Janeiro in 1998, a long time ago, I immediately focused on events for young people and very young people. And since 1999 we have started organizing the junior world championships every two years, alternating them with those for adult athletes.
The competition program
The preliminary competitions will begin on Wednesday 9th and will continue until Friday 11th, with each day dedicated to a specific category: U21, Juniores and Cadets. The finals, however, will take place on Saturday and Sunday, for both the bronze and gold medals. The Italian national team, which has already achieved notable successes in the last Youth World Championships and in all editions of the European Youth Championships, will participate with a team of 41 athletes divided into three categories and the two disciplines of kata and kumite, with great hopes of a medal. Martina Borin, Councilor for Sport of the Municipality of Jesolo, added: “Karate teaches you to get up after falling. It is the first time that we have had the world championship in Italy for sixteen years now and we are proud that our city was chosen.”
Inclusion and Parakarate
In preparation for the Youth World Championship, a satellite tournament dedicated to parakarate was held on 6 October: the Parakarate International Cup, sponsored by the Region and the Municipality of Venice, demonstrating the commitment of Fijlkam and WKF for the inclusion of Parakarate. Francesca Scatto, president of the Culture commission of the Veneto Regional Council, said: “We will bring karate into schools. It is a noble, instructive activity that teaches us to be with ourselves and with others.”
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– 2024-10-08 06:35:58
