Ministry asks IOA to appoint interim body for karate

The sports ministry has requested the Indian Olympics Association to appoint an ad-hoc body to run the sport of karate. In a written order, director sports Bangararaju VK has formally asked the IOA to appoint the interim body for the betterment of the sport.

The ministry reckons that there have been multiple bodies who claim to be the rightful governing body of the sport, which has fuelled confusion amongst sportspersons and has seen a number of litigations that has stalled the sport of karate in the country.

At present there are as many as five state associations who claim to be the sole governing body for the sport. All India Karate-Do Federation (AIKDF), Karate India Organisation (KIO), Karate India (KI) and The Karate Federation of India (TKFI), who all hold regular state and national competitions, often charging huge amount as entry fees from the athletes.

Interestingly, the sports ministry does not recognise either of the above mentioned bodies as the National Sports Federation. The order also states that the sport of karate has a lot of potential as it is being held in the Asian Games and was also part of the sports programme of the Tokyo Olympics.

"Karate is an Asian Games sport and was featured in Tokyo Olympics 2020, there is a lot of potential among budding Indian athletes to achieve excellence at international level. However, the athletes are finding it extremely difficult to harness their potential due to absence of effective governance," the letter said.