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The USANKF, the US governing body for WKF and eventually Olympic Karate, announced on their website that Karate had finally been made an Olympic Sport. The same article was carried by American Samurai which seems to have close ties to the USANKF hierarchy.
I was of course immediately thrilled but then curious as to why I had not heard about it and why no other sites, including WKF and IOC were carrying this awesome news...
After firing off emails to the USANKF, PKF, WKF, USOC, and IOC I can clearly state that the news is sadly NOT true. There is no IOC vote on the subject until 2009. This information came directly from the first to respond to my inquiries, Mr. William Millerson, President of the PKF and Vice President of the WKF.
What has apparently happened, and this is unconfirmed by any IOC or WKF official, is that Karate has been elevated to a Class A Sport which means it has met certain requirements needed to be considered for the Olympics... This is FAR from being an "Olympic Sport" which will require a 2/3 vote by IOC members in 2009.
I have no idea why a major organization such as the USANKF would allow such poor reporting on their website but I would caution them to conduct themselves in a more professional manner in the future. As for American Samurai... well I think that the quality of their story, or lack of, speaks for itself.
I want to thank all those who wrote in and brought this to my attention. Know that I will always be there for you all. If you have concerns or questions, feel free to write to me.
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