Previewing The Karate 1-Premier League In Salzburg
Starting on Friday, February 28, the Karate 1-Premier League returns. The event will take place inside Sporthalle Alpenstraße in Salzburg. This will be the third season Salzburg has hosted a Karate 1 event. Even with debates raging on whether the Olympics should be cancelled or not, competition to see who will make it to the Summer Games will continue.
For our followers in the MENA region, the tournament is available on the FIGHT SPORTS MAX app.
The event in Salzburg will be the third event of the karate tournament, the last one taking place in France. Gold medals are also on the line, as well as international pride.
The schedule is as follows:
- 2/28 – Elimination Rounds
- Female Kata, Male Kata, Make Kumite -60kg, Male Kumite -67kg, Male Kumite -75kg, Female Kumite -50kg, Female Kumite -55kg
- 2/29: Elimination Rounds
- Male Kata, Female Team Kata, Female Kumite -61kg, Female Kumite -68kg, Female Kumite +68kg, Male Kumite -84kg, Male Kumite +84kg
- 3/1: Bronze Medal Bouts
- 3/1: Finals
- 3/1: Awards Ceremony
You can check out a detailed version of the program for the Karate 1-Premier League here.
Over 600 athletes will be competing for their shot at glory. Gold winners will receive points between 870 and 990, depending on the category and bouts. All major World champions will compete, except for Ryo Kiyuna.
Athletes include:
- Sandra Sanchez (Spain)
- Steven Da Costa (France)
- Gogita Arkania (Georgia)
- Bahman Asgari Ghoncheh (Iran)
- Xiaoyan Yin (China)
The full list of competitors within the competition can be viewed via the World Karate Federation events page. Only Sanchez, Da Costa and Turkey’s Serap Ozcelik Arapoglu have won the two Karate 1-Premier League events this season.
Can Japan repeat their run of 10 medals (five of them gold) in Salzburg in 2016? What about Austria’s Alisa Buchinger? Will the coronavirus affect the event, or others after it? Following Salzburg, the road to the Olympics heads to Morocco, Spain and Russia.