GB martial chief Ellis calls for karate boss' head

GREAT Britain's martial arts chief Joe Ellis has urged World Karate Federation president Antonio Espinos to tender his resignation after the sport failed in its bid for Olympic inclusion last week.

 TIME FOR A CHANGE: GB martial arts chief Ellis calls for major overhauls to karate

According to the UK's National Association of Karate and Martial Arts Schools (NAKMAS), non-inclusive rules imposed by the sport's international governing body was a key reason for karate being overlooked by the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) executive board.

Karate, along with softball, was just pipped by golf to be the second sport to face the IOC vote in October, after four extra stringent rounds of voting, once rugby sevens had received unanimous support.

But NAKMAS chairman Joe Ellis insists Espinos, who was karate's sole representative in Lausanne in June, when each of the seven short-listed sports stated their cases, must shoulder the blame.

"The IOC states inclusiveness and good governance are criteria Olympic qualification, but WKF's rules state that member clubs of the WKF cannot have links with non-members," said Ellis.

"And that in my view is anything but inclusive and goes against the equality policies that sport demands.

"While NAKMAS and other national governing bodies have embraced equality and inclusion initiatives, the WKF have sadly failed, and that means karate will not get the global recognition it deserves on the Olympic stage. It's time for change."