When does karate start at the Olympics? Karate rules explained and how to watch Tokyo 2020 event
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Published 05/08/2021 at 09:47 GMT
Karate is one of the five new sports at the Tokyo Olympics and the last to get underway in Japan's capital. Karate is also making its debut at the Olympics and the event should be special given it's taking place in its homeland. You want it? We have it. Stream every Olympic event live on discovery+
Karate is making its Olympic debut this summer in Japan
Image credit: Getty Images
It's time for the last of the new sports to announce itself on the biggest stage of all with karate making its Olympic debut.
The karate competitions at the 2020 Olympics will feature eight events split up into two disciplines.
Here's all you need to know about the rules regarding both disciplines.
Kumite karate rules
Kumite is the sparring version of karate when two competitors (karatekas) face off against each other on a 8m x 8m mat. Fighters must land a series of blows on the target area of their opponent's body, scoring between one and three points per hit.
A winner is crowned when one athlete amasses eight points more than their opponent or whoever has the most points at the end of three minutes.
In the event of a draw, the match is awarded to the karateka who scored the first point. In the event of a scoreless draw, the panel of five judges will decide the winner.
Kata karate rules
Kata are demonstrations of forms consisting of a series of offensive and defensive movements targeting a virtual opponent.
Competitors choose the kata they will demonstrate from 102 that are recognised by the World Karate Federation.
A point-based system is awarded by judges keeping close tabs on the fighters' strength, speed, rhythm, balance and power of strikes and kicks.
The two highest and lowest scores of the judges are discarded, and the remaining three scorecards are added up to give a score.
Karate Olympics schedule (All times BST)
Thursday, Aug 5
02:00-06:45 - Women's Kata elimination round and ranking round; men's Kumite -67kg elimination round
09:00-13:40 - Women's Kumite -55kg elimination round; women's Kata bronze medal and final bouts; men's Kumite -67kg semi-finals; women's Kumite -55kg semi-finals; men's Kumite -67kg final; women's Kumite -55kg final
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Kumite is the sparring version of karate
Image credit: Getty Images
Friday, Aug 6
02:00-06:45 - Men's Kata elimination round and ranking round; women's Kumite -61kg elimination round
09:00-13:40 - Men's Kumite -75kg elimination round, men's Kata bronze and final bouts, women's Kumite -61kg semi-finals, men's Kumite -75kg semi-finals; women's Kumite -61kg final, men's Kumite -75kg final
Saturday, Aug 7
06:00-12:35 - Women's Kumite +61kg elimination round; men's Kumite +75kg elimination round; women's Kumite +61kg semi-finals; men's Kumite +75kg semi-finals; women's Kumite +61kg final; men's Kumite +75kg final
How to watch karate at the Tokyo Olympics
There's set to be over 3,500 hours of action throughout the 17 days of competition and discovery+’s live event feeds are on hand to bring you all the action this summer.
To be able to watch every minute of the action, fans can subscribe to discovery+‘s Entertainment & Sport annual pass for just £29.99 or alternatively purchase a monthly subscription at a cost of £6.99 a month.
The pass will allow access to 55+ live event feeds, including Eurosport 1 and 2 as well as Eurosport pop-up channels 3-9.
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Watch every unmissable moment live from Tokyo 2020 across Eurosport, Eurosport app and discovery+. Download the Eurosport app for iOS and Android now.
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