All you need to know about Karate at Pan American Games

WHAT

• The Pan American Games are the biggest multi-sport event on the continent.
• Held every four years, the event reaches its 19th edition.
• The last edition of the Pan American Games was held in Lima (Peru) in 2019.
• Karate has been a permanent fixture in the programme of the Pan American Games since 1995. In the 2023 edition, Karate returns to the programme with the disciplines of individual Kata and Kumite in 12 categories at stake.

WHERE

• The event takes place in Santiago (Chile).
• The competition will be held at the Centro de Deportes de Contacto in Chile’s capital.
• Chile have hosted several major international events over the years, most recently the 2020 and 2019 editions of Karate 1-Series A, the 2023 PKF Cadet, Junior & U21 Championships, the 2018 PKF Senior Championships, and the 2019 World Cadet, Junior & U21 Championships, all of them in Santiago.

WHEN

• The event is scheduled for November 3 to 5.  
• The first day (Friday) will have the categories of Female Kata, Male Kata, Female Kumite +68kg, and Male Kumite -60kg, taking the stage.
• On Day 2 (Saturday) it will be the moment for the categories of Female Kumite -50kg, Female Kumite -55kg, Male Kumite -84kg, Male Kumite +84kg, and Female Kumite -61kg.
• The final day (Sunday) will put the spotlight on the categories of Female Kumite -68kg, Male Kumite -67kg, and Male Kumite -75kg.
• The finals will be held at the end of each competition day.
• Full competition programme click here.

WHO

• A total of 106 athletes from 21 countries will participate in the event.  
• Nine athletes compete in each Kumite division, while eight karatekas participate in each Kata category.
• Hosts of Chile and the United States present the largest delegations, with 13 competitors each. Brazil with 11 athletes and Colombia with 10 athletes also participate with numerous representations.
• United States top the historic medal table of Karate at the Pan American Games with a total of 32 medals, including 14 gold medals. Venezuela, with 35 medals and 11 golds, and Brazil with 43 medals and 10 golds, have also registered impressive performances.
• Karate icon Antonio Diaz of Venezuela, USA’s Thomas Scott and Sakura Kokumai, and Peru’s Alexandra Grande were among the big winners of the last edition of the Pan American Games.  

HOW

• The competition follows a Round Robin system. 

 WHAT ELSE

• Newly proclaimed World Championships bronze medallist Yorgelis Salazar of Venezuela leads the many stars in Chile. The Grand Winner competes in Santiago days after winning the bronze medal at #KarateBudapest2023.
• The event will also see current continental champions Sakura Kokumai of the United States, Yamina Lahyanssa of Canada, Valentina Toro of Chile, Skylar Lingl of the United States, Pamela Rodriguez of the Dominican Republic, Ariel Torres of the United States, Enrique Villalón of Chile, Andres Madera of Venezuela, Matias Rodriguez of Chile, Jose Antonio Acevedo of Ecuador, and Rodrigo Rojas of Chile trying to defend their prevalence at the America's largest event.      

2023 PAN AMERICAN GAMES