Karate debuted at the Olympics this year in Tokyo. However, the fight sports first year on the ultimate world stage might be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
Yesterday, at the historic Nippon Budoken, the gold medal in the +75 kg kumite competition was awarded to Iran’s Sajad Ganjzadeh... after he recovered from being knocked out cold by Saudi Arabia’s Tareg Ali Hamedi.
In the kumite category of competitive karate, damage is supposed to be inflicted in a ‘controlled’ manner. Under these rules, rendering someone unconscious or otherwise unable to continue the bout is grounds for disqualification.