The World Union of Karate Do Organizations ( WUKO ) was founded in 1970 by the Japanese Ryoichi Sasakawa and the French Jacques Delcourt to hold karate world championships . WUKO was founded as one of the first world martial arts associations. After Japan lost to England at the second World Cup in France in 1972, the Japanese refused to compete again. There was a scandal . In 1974 they founded the IAKF . The IAKF held its world championships like the WUKO almost at the same time and place. In 1985 the IAKF changed its name to ITKF . In 1990 there was to be a merger with other traditional karate associations in order to receive international recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The WUKO and the International Traditional Karate Federation (ITKF) then formed a confederation, which two years later was recognized by the IOC as the only world association for karate sport. Since 1993 this association has been called the World Karate Federation (WKF). WUKO held recognized world championships and world cup competitions. The first president of WUKO was the co-founder Ryoichi Sasakawa. His successor was Jacques Delcourt.
The Australian national team at the 1970 World Cup
After the merger with the ITKF , all other world championships were held by the World Karate Federation (WKF).
WUKO is founded
In 2005 the Italian karateka Carlo Henke (8th Dan, † September 13th 2010) founded the new WUKO with a group of friends in Verbania / Italy. The name WUKO was not protected and was adopted. However, the logo could not be used. From now on, the new WUKO grew rapidly and was intended as a pure amateur association. Martial arts professionals were not the target group. The new association no longer wants to strive primarily for Olympic recognition, but rather to become a home for all karate associations and clubs regardless of its orientation. The new WUKO wants to promote karate martial arts in all social classes. It supports new associations and unions in their establishment and in their early days. Another goal of the WUKO is the involvement of older people in karate. In addition, she would like to establish karate lessons in schools.
This newly founded association is a non-political, non-religious non-profit organization with a democratic structure. President is Eiji Ogasahara (9th Dan, Japan), Vice-Presidents are Luigi Aschedamini (Italy), Gustavo Esteban Zapan (Argentina), Michael Kliment (South Africa) and Darryl Williams ( Trinidad and Tobago ).
The WUKO holds various international competitions every year. Club World Championships were held for the first time on April 11, 2010. Other competitions such as the international Grand Prix d´Italia are also organized .
Japan team E
France
Italy
England
Netherlands
Germany S.Wolf, G.Mohr , R.Gerstenberger, H.Degen, W.Voss
Spain
Sweden