Competition Court

Article 1
The competition court shall be a matted square or a wooden flat square with sides of 8 meters in length.

Official Uniform

Article 2
Competitors, coaches, referees, and judges must wear the official uniform as prescribed in each of the following items.
(1) Competitors must wear a plain white karate-gi, however kobudo competitors are also allowed to wear black or brown karate-gi. Wearing hakama (divided skirt used in other martial arts) is not permitted.
(2) It is permitted to have ryuha/kaiha emblems, country flags (excluding the prefectural emblem of Okinawa), and national emblems on only left chest of the karate-gi. Any other letters, emblems, labels, etc., are not allowed to be attached on any other parts. However, trademark labels of manufactures already processed on the karate-gi and one’s name are allowed.
(3) A competitor number issued by The Okinawa Karate World Tournament Executive Committee (hereinafter referred to as “Executive Committee”) must be attached on the back of the karate-gi.
(4) Boys are not allowed to wear a T-shirt etc., under their karate-gi. However, girls must wear a plain white or plain t-shirt or inner wear (e.g. tank top or sports bra) of the same color as the karate-gi jacket.
(5) The jacket, when tightened around the waist with the belt, must be no longer than mid-thigh length.
(6) The maximum length of the jacket sleeves shall be no longer than up to the wrist and shall not be shorter than up to half-way between the elbow and the wrist. The sleeves must not be folded to the outside. If they need to be folded, they must be folded and sewn to the inside of the sleeve.
(7) Length of trousers shall be long enough to cover at least two-thirds of the shins and should not cover the ankles. The trousers must not be folded to the outside. If they need to be folded, they must be folded and sewn to the inside.
(8)The belt shall be the standard blue belt distributed by the Executive Committee. In single-elimination tournament matches, a red or white sash prepared by the Executive Committee will be used as an identifying sign.
(9) If you wear glasses, you must take measures to prevent them from falling.
(10) Wearing accessories (hachimaki (headband), hair clips, misanga bracelets, pierced earrings, etc.) is prohibited. However, black or brown hair ties are allowed.
(11) The use of bandages or metal elastic clips etc., because of injuries must be approved by the Executive Committee with the diagnosis of the doctor.
(12) The coach shall, at all times during the tournament, wear a karate-gi and arm band on his/her left or right bicep.
(13) Referees shall wear black indoor shoes and socks, grayish pants, and a jacket designated by the Executive Committee.
2. Those who fail to comply with the regulations up to the preceding paragraph may be disqualified from entry qualifications.

Organization of the Competition

Article 3
1. The competition consists of five individual Kata segments separated as Boys and Girls Ⅰ, Boys and Girls Ⅱ, Boys and GirlsⅢ, separately Boys Ⅰ, separately Girls Ⅰ.
2. The competition will be carried out in four categories consisting of Shuri-te kei/Tomari-te kei, Naha-te kei, Uechi-ryu kei, and Kobudo (Bo).

The Referee Panel

Article 4
1. The referee team shall consist of six judges (one chief referee, four judges, and one auditor) appointed by the Chief Referee.
2. The chief referee may appoint several score-keepers, callers and announcers to facilitate the smooth operation of the competition.

Competition Procedure

Article 5
The competition will be conducted by a scoring system.
2. In the scoring system, each competitor performs Kata and the ranking is determined according to the score indicated by the referee panel.
3. For the preliminary rounds for Okinawa, a score-based group tournament system shall be adopted. A separately specified number of the highest-ranking competitors on each court can advance to the main tournament.
4. For the preliminary rounds for overseas/mainland Japan/remote islands of Okinawa, a score-based group tournament system shall be adopted. A separately specified number of the highest-ranking competitors on each court can advance to the main tournament.
5. The main tournament will be a single-elimination tournament conducted by a scoring system.

Scoring System

Article 6
In the scoring system, the scores and rankings of each competitor will be determined according to the following items.
(1) The score of each competitor shall be the total of scores indicated by the referee and the judges, excluding the highest and lowest scores.
(2) In the case that several competitors are tied with the same score on the entry line of the next round advancement, the lowest score excluded in the previous issue is added to the score of the competitor and the ranking shall be determined based on this total score. If further several competitors are still tied with the same score, the highest score excluded in the previous issue shall be further added and the ranking shall be determined based on this total score.
(3) Regarding the previous issue, if further several competitors are still tied with the same score, the competitors will perform play-off, and the ranking will be decided based on the rules up to the 2nd issue. In this case, it is not allowed to select the same Kata as the ones previously performed.
(4) Nevertheless, if several competitors are still tied with the same score according to the method up to the previous issue, the ranking shall be decided by consultation of the referee panel.
2. The procedures of the competition in the scoring system are as follows.
(1) The competitor stands at the boundary line of the competition court, bows to the front, and then advances to the starting position.
(2) The competitor takes their starting position, bows, gives the name of the Kata to be performed, and starts the performance. After the performance ends, the competitor bows, turns around and exits the court, stands at the boundary line of the court, and waits for the decision of the judges. After receiving their score, the competitor bows and departs.
(3) The chief referee and the judges give their scores after the competitor completes their performance.

Kata Selection

Article 7
1. The Kata to be performed in each event shall be the traditional Okinawa karate and kobudo Kata acknowledged by the Executive Committee and selected from the following.
(1) Shuri-te kei/Tomari-te kei: Appendix 1
(2) Naha-te kei: Appendix 2
(3) Uechi-ryu kei: Appendix 3
(4) Kobudo (Bo): Appendix 4
2 With regard to the Kata to be performed, the same Kata can be performed consecutively. (Except for the demonstration stipulated in Article 6, Paragraph 1, Item 3).

Criteria for Judgment

Article 8
The referee makes an evaluation based on the judgment criteria prescribed separately.

Others

Article 9
In the Kobudo (Bo) section, the Bo used in the Boys and Girls Ⅱ event, and Boys and Girls Ⅲ event, shall be made of wood (excluding bamboo), round in shape, at least 180cm in length or at least 10cm longer than the competitor’s height, and with no limit on the weight. The Bo used in the Boys Ⅰ event, and Girls Ⅰ event, shall be made of hardwood (such as oak or ebony), round in shape, at least 180cm in length or at least 10cm longer than the competitor’s height, and weight at least 750g.
2. No modifications are permitted for Bo, such as engraving for slip prevention and embedding the iron core for gravitational movement.
3. Competitors must go through an inspection of Bo to be used beforehand; once they pass the inspection, a seal indicating the inspection will be stuck on the weapons.

Supplementary Rules

Article 10
In addition to what is specified in these Competition Rules and Regulations, the Executive Committee sets necessary matters separately.

Appendix 1 Shuri-te kei/Tomari-te kei

No.	Kata Names	Boys and Girls Ⅰ	Boys and Girls Ⅱ	Boys and Girls Ⅲ	Boys Ⅰ	Girls Ⅰ
1	FUKYUGATA Ⅰ	◯	◯	◯	◯	◯
2	FUKYUGATA Ⅱ	◯	◯	◯	◯	◯
3	PINAN Sho Dan	◯	◯	◯	◯	◯
4	PINAN Ni Dan	◯	◯	◯	◯	◯
5	PINAN San Dan	◯	◯	◯	◯	◯
6	PINAN Yon Dan	◯	◯	◯	◯	◯
7	PINAN Go Dan	◯	◯	◯	◯	◯
8	NAIHANCHI Sho Dan	◯	◯	◯	◯	◯
9	NAIHANCHI Ni Dan	◯	◯	◯	◯	◯
10	NAIHANCHI San Dan	◯	◯	◯	◯	◯
11	ANANKU	◯	◯	◯	◯	◯
12	SESAN (SEISAN)	◯	◯	◯	◯	◯
13	WANSU (WANSHU)	◯	◯	◯	◯	◯
14	PASSAI	×	×	×	◯	◯
15	PASSAI DAI (MATSUMURA)	×	×	×	◯	◯
16	PASSAI SHO (ITOSU)	×	×	×	◯	◯

* “○” indicates a selectable Kata, and “×” indicates an unselectable Kata.

Appendix 2 Naha-te kei

No.	Kata Names	Boys and Girls Ⅰ	Boys and Girls Ⅱ	Boys and Girls Ⅲ	Boys Ⅰ	Girls Ⅰ
1	GEKISAI Ⅰ	◯	◯	◯	◯	◯
2	GEKISAI Ⅱ	◯	◯	◯	◯	◯
3	SAIFA	×	◯	◯	◯	◯
4	SEYUNCHIN (SEENCHIN)	×	×	◯	◯	◯
5	SHISOCHIN	×	×	×	◯	◯
6	SANSERU	×	×	×	◯	◯

* “○” indicates a selectable Kata, and “×” indicates an unselectable Kata.

Appendix 3 Uechi-ryu kei

No.	Kata Names	Boys and Girls Ⅰ	Boys and Girls Ⅱ	Boys and Girls Ⅲ	Boys Ⅰ	Girls Ⅰ
1	FUKYUGATA Ⅰ	◯	◯	◯	◯	◯
2	FUKYUGATA Ⅱ	◯	◯	◯	◯	◯
3	KANSHIWA	◯	◯	◯	◯	◯
4	KANSHU	◯	◯	◯	◯	◯
5	SECHIN	×	◯	◯	◯	◯
6	SESAN	×	×	×	◯	◯

* “○” indicates a selectable Kata, and “×” indicates an unselectable Kata.

Appendix 4 Kobudo (Bo)

No.	Kata Names	Boys and Girls Ⅱ	Boys and Girls Ⅲ	Boys Ⅰ	Girls Ⅰ
1	UFUGUSHIKU NU KUN	◯	◯	◯	◯
2	CHOUN NU KUN (朝雲)	◯	◯	◯	◯
3	SHUSHI NU KUN	◯	◯	◯	◯
4	SHUSHI NU KUN (SHO)	◯	◯	◯	◯
5	TOKUMINE NU KUN	◯	◯	◯	◯
6	KUBO NU KUN	◯	◯	◯	◯
7	KASSHIN BO	◯	◯	◯	◯
8	SAKUGAWA NU KUN	×	×	◯	◯
9	SAKUGAWA NU KUN (SHO)	◯	◯	◯	◯

* “○” indicates a selectable Kata, and “×” indicates an unselectable Kata.

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