"READY STEADY TOKYO" Karate Test Event Held

The karate event for "READY STEADY TOKYO," a test event for the 2020 Tokyo Games hosted by the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, took place on September 9 at the Nippon Budokan (Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo), the venue for the actual competition. (Photo: ⓒ Fort Kishimoto)

The venue had hosted the "KARATE1 Premier League 2019 Tokyo Tournament" (hosted by the World Karate Federation, co-hosted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government) until the day before. The Nippon Budokan served as the competition venue for judo, which was adopted as an official sport for the first time at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
It will also host judo (Olympic/Paralympic) and karate (Olympic) events for the 2020 Games. The venue's capacity during the Games is stated as 11,000 spectators.

 The test event was held without spectators, featuring university student athletes as models performing demonstration matches. Operational checks, including confirmation of the competition format, were conducted.

"READY STEADY TOKYO" website: https://readysteady.tokyo2020.org/ja/

Meanwhile, at the "KARATE1 Premier League 2019 Tokyo Tournament" (September 6-8), Japanese athletes performed notably well.
In "Kata," Ryo Kiyuna (three-time consecutive World Champion) won the men's individual title, while Kiyo Shimizu (2016 World Champion) won the women's individual title. The Japanese teams also won both the men's and women's team events.
In kumite, four athletes claimed gold: Ayumi Uekusa in women's +68kg, Hiroto Gomei in men's -67kg, Ken Nishimura in men's -75kg, and Ryutaro Araga in men's -84kg.
Japanese athletes secured a total of 8 gold, 3 silver, and 8 bronze medals, creating a medal rush that provided significant momentum heading into 2020.