On January 9th (Friday), WORLD KARATE FEDERATION President Antonio Espinós made courtesy calls on JOC President Takeda Tsunekazu, TOCOG Chairman Mori Yoshiro, and Nippon Budokan Trustee and Secretary General MIhuji Yoshio, before returning to his country.
The JOC and TOCOG are organizations that are directly involved in selection for additional events. President Espinós emphasized that the number of events implemented, the number of days for competition, and the number of contestants, etc., could be flexibly accommodated.
It was explained to him that if karate is adopted at the Olympic Games, the Nippon Budokan could be secured for use as a venue one week after judo. The Nippon Budokan will begin repairs as the Tokyo Olympic Games approach, and will be refurbished in 2019. President Espinós received a proposal from Trustee and Secretary General Mihuji, who said, “if karate becomes an Olympic sport, we should hold the Olympic pre-tournament in 2019.”
