International Traditional Karate Federation
The International Traditional Karate Federation (国際伝統空手連盟, Kokusai Dentō Karate Renmei) or ITKF is the international governing body for Traditional Karate. This organisation was founded by Hidetaka Nishiyama. In the early 1990s, Nishiyama's refusal to align his ITKF organization with the World Union of Karate-Do Organizations (WUKO) caused the International Olympic Committee to suspend its recognition of WUKO as amateur karate's international governing body.[1][2] According to the IOC decision 101 from 1993 the ITKF and WUKO had been due to merge and form a unified karate organization under the IOC suggested name of WKF. The IOC further indicated its intention to recognize the merged WKF should ITKF and WUKO successfully fulfill the IOC 101 decision guidelines, but this did not eventuate.[3] The WUKO eventually became the World Union of Karate-Do Federations in late 2008.[3]
Motto | The Tradition Continues |
---|---|
Formation | 1974 |
Type | Sports martial art association |
Legal status | Federation |
Purpose | Development of Traditional Karate Worldwide |
Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
Location |
|
Region served | Worldwide |
Chairman | Gilberto Gaertner |
Main organ | Brazil office & administration |
Website | www |
Remarks | Founder - H. Nishiyama |
ITKF Officials
- Chairman: Prof. Gilberto Gaertner
- Board of Directors: G. Gaertner, R. Jorgenson, Dr. V. Jorga, Ibrahim Al-Bakr
- General Secretary: Luiz Alberto Küster
- Treasurer: Rui Francisco Martins Marçal
- Director General: Sadiomar Santos
- Technical Committee: R. Jorgensen,
- Communications & Marketing Committee: Eyal Nir, Roman Pavlovic, Ibrahim Al-Bakr, Leonardo Neves Berg do Prado,
- Innovation and Technology Committee: Vinícius Sant’Anna Pinto, Joarez Evangelista Franco Junior, Rafael Gustavo Gaertner, Sheriff Abuel Enein,
- Medical Committee: Dr. V. Jorga
National Federations
The ITKF has national clubs in many countries:[4]
References
- "Karate in the Olympics? More than a pipe dream". Active Interest Media, Inc. (February 1985). Black Belt. Active Interest Media, Inc. pp. 40–44. ISSN 0277-3066.
- Coleman, J. (1993): "Watch out, WUKO—Here comes Shotokan Karate's Nishiyama! Noted Instructor claims he is ready to lead Olympic Karate movement if IOC ousts WUKO." Black Belt, 31(4):18–22.
- World Union of Karate-Do Federations: About us Archived 2010-05-07 at the Wayback Machine (c. 2009). Retrieved on April 17, 2010.
- National Federations: International Traditional Karate Federation Archived 2009-01-02 at the Wayback Machine