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Karate BC

Sport Governing Body for Karate in British Columbia

2020 BC Winter Games

SCHEDULE | RULES | RESULTS | BUS/MEAL SCHEDULE | VENUE MAP | LUGGAGE RESTRICTIONS

Welcome to Karate BC’ BC Winter Games karate tournament information page!

The “BC Games Karate Tournament” is held during the biennial BC Winter Games event for athletes who are 12 or 13 years old on the first day of the Games. An athlete may participate once in the Games, therefore the 2 year age policy.

BC Games follows a simplified Olympic qualification model of each zone (country) only having one athlete per division (12 divisions with 6 boys & 6 girls total on a zone team), regardless of how many athletes register in one division for zone qualification.

If 2 or more athletes are in the same division, a proper elimination process is used with WKF rules and certified officials. If only 1 athlete registers for one division, the athlete automatically qualifies on the zone team.

Zones with more athletes trying out are not allowed to flood the Games with more participants per division because this would create an unequal imbalance between zone teams by increasing the medal chances of the zone with more athletes. While at regular tournaments the athlete numbers may be unlimited, the BC Games is striving for a more equitable event between zone teams.

To register, check for the registration links within the zone qualifying dates below (“BC Games Information”). After registration is complete, the official zone rep will contact the athlete’s parents directly.

Full information on the Games and the karate tournament are below. Please review it all carefully.

CONTENTS

BC Games Information

Latest Updates (Updated: September 5, 2019)

BC Winter Games Official Website

Click HERE to see the most current details.

General Rules

Click HERE for the complete general rules package for karate at the BC Winter Games.

Karate Technical Package

Click HERE for the complete technical package for karate at the BC Winter Games.

Athlete Registration & Athlete Participation Package For All 8 Zones

There are two stages to qualify for the Games, first to register for the qualification process for an athlete’s zone team based on where the athlete lives. If the athlete qualifies in a single division, they then register for the actual Games participation.

This two-stage process has two registration fees. One, the initial zone only registration fee to try to qualify for the zone team. Two, for athletes who qualify, the official Games participation fee is $175. It covers all transportation, food and accomodation. All athletes must travel and stay at the Games with their zone team under the zone coaches supervision, no exceptions unless for medical reasons (pre-approval by Games staff required).

To register for a zone team’s qualifying process, click HERE!

Zone Qualifying Dates and Registration Links:

ZoneDateLocationTimeRegistration StatusReg Deadline
1N/ANo qualifier req'd - Just registrationN/ARegistration Open!Dec. 1, 2019
2Nov. 23, 2019Peachland Community Centre - 4450 6th Street, Peachland, BC9:30AMRegistration Open!Nov. 18, 2019
3Nov. 20, 2019Aldergrove Community Secondary School 26850 29th Ave. Aldergrove. BC6:00PMRegistration Open!Nov. 1, 2019
4Nov. 23, 2019St David’s church
1525 Taylor way
West Vancouver		1:30PMRegistration Open!Nov. 13, 2019
5Nov. 24, 2019Peretz Centre, 6184 Ash Street, Vancouver, BC10:00AMRegistration Open!Nov. 20, 2019
6Dec. 15, 2019Shima Karate Club, Nanaimo, BC9:00AMRegistration Open!Dec. 13, 2019
7N/ANo qualifier req'd - Just registrationN/ARegistration Open!Dec. 1, 2019
8N/ANo qualifier req'd - Just registrationN/ARegistration Open!Dec. 1, 2019

The BC Summer and Winter Games are provincially funded premier sports festivals for all BC communities, large and small. The Games have evolved from simply being about participation to now focusing on athlete sport development across all BC.

The Games strive to be represented by athletes & coaches from all areas of the province through the low barrier to entry and the incredible support provided. Each sport’s tournament at the event avoids simply becoming a competition for lower mainland athletes only by continually building sport community networks to encourage wide participation.

Athlete sport development means providing opportunities for athletes to experience high-performance competition that may also lead to eventual Karate BC Team selections which then provide access to the Karate Canada National Championships and national team qualifications. In many sports, Olympic athletes from BC got their first taste of intense competition by competing early on at the BC Games.

Athlete package – all athletes who qualify from each zone pay a small fee of $175 to participate, with all of their meals, transportation and accommodation being included, as the majority of the event being funded by the province and corporate sponsorship.

There are 8 BC Games zones in the province, each allowing a minimum of 12 athletes to compete per zone, with some extra wildcards shared around the province. See complete BC Games Zone info HERE. Each zone has a volunteer zone rep to promote the Games locally, organize the zone team registration and qualification events if needed, and to help select the zone coaches, support volunteers and possible officials.

  • Kootenays (Zone 1) Yellow
  • Thompson-Okanagan (Zone 2) Red
  • Fraser Valley (Zone 3) Light Blue
  • Fraser River (Zone 4) Orange
  • Vancouver-Coastal (Zone 5) Dark Green
  • Vancouver Island-Central Coast (Zone 6) Light Green
  • North West (Zone 7) Purple
  • Cariboo-North East (Zone 8) Dark Blue

If required, a zone will hold a qualifying tournament in the Fall during November or December, before the BC Winter Games in February.

[Updated: Dec. 19, 2019]

The two athlete categories are Intermediate and Advanced.
Belt level means far less than competition experience, since some club teams compete frequently, while other club teams rarely compete,
but they still try send athletes to attend the Games.
For most Intermediate athletes from smaller zones, the BCWG is their 1st or 2nd tournament ever, regardless of their belt level.
Two core principles of the Games are that true Intermediate athletes from all 8 zones are encouraged to try-out, while at the same time the best Intermediate and Advanced
athletes in each zone are correctly selected for their zone team’s respective divisions.

Club coaches, zone coaches and zone reps are asked to use their common sense and ethical judgement when registering all zone athletes for specific divisions.

Registration guidelines are as follows:

Intermediate Athlete

  • approximately 6 months to 2 years of karate practice (regardless of belt color/kyu rank)
  • experience in approximately 0-5 tournaments
  • if competing in kata, normally competes with lower level kata (Pinan, Heian, Gekisai, etc)
  • has never competed in a Karate BC tournament in the Advanced, Rec Black or Elite divisions (Provincials, Canada Open or sanctioned events)
  • is not trying out for the Karate BC Junior Team, nor has never tried
  • is not a brown or black belt, or equivalent to this rank, in any karate style (this advanced level requires far more than 2yrs to achieve)

Advanced Athlete

  • 2 years or more years of karate practice (regardless of belt color/kyu rank)
  • experience in approximately 5 or more tournaments
  • if competing in kata, normally competes with mid to higher level kata (NOT Pinan, Heian, Gekisai, etc)
  • has competed in a Karate BC tournament in the Advanced, Rec Black or Elite divisions (Provincials, Canada Open or sanctioned events)
  • has tried out of the Karate BC Junior Team
  • is a brown or black belt, or equivalent to this rank, in any karate style (this advanced level requires far more than 2yrs to achieve)

 

Key Volunteer Staff

Karate Provincial Advisor (PA)
The PA represents Karate BC to the BC Games Society and oversees the event’s entire karate tournament organization. All karate event communication regarding the Games is through the PA.
Richard Mosdell
Assistant Provincial Advisor (APA)
Peter Stoddart
Sport Chair (local event site), Fort St. John 2020
Oversees all local event organization.
Jason Farquharson
Chief Official
TBC
Tournament Director
Christopher Saito
Karate BC Executive Director
Jonathan Wornell
Karate BC office
Cheryl Gray

Specific Karate Policies:

  1. An athlete may try out for kata or kumite, or both, and if they qualify for their zone team in any one division, at the Games they are welcome to compete in as many extra divisions as possible as determined by their zone coach.
    1. For example, an Intermediate girl who qualifies in her zone for kata may also compete in Intermediate kumite for her height at the Games.
    2. The previous rule until 2016 required athletes in zones to try out for both kata and kumite, earning points in each division, and then the athlete with the highest total score per division was selected, but this policy was removed since top athletes who only excelled in kata or kumite were sometimes unable to achieve high scores.
  2. To reduce the emphasis on weight categories for kumite athletes, the organizers will separate the athletes into two divisions based on height. Each athlete will enter their height into their zone registration. Height divisions recognize in this 12/13yrs age group that karate is more of a speed and reach sport, not a power, grab and throw sport. In addition, this new policy eliminates any unhealthy concern of weight cutting.
    1. “2 centimetres or less” rule: if an athlete in a lower kumite division experiences a change in their height by 2cms or less from the time their zone rep confirms their height to the time they are re-checked at the Games, then the athlete stays in the lower kumite division.
    2. “3 centimetres or more” rule: if an athlete in a lower kumite division experiences a change in their height by 3cms or more from the time their zone rep confirms their height to the time they are re-checked at the Games, then the athlete moves up to the higher kumite division.
    3. Example: Boy Advanced Kumite 1 athlete is confirmed by the zone rep to be 155cm, but at the Games his height is now 157cm, he remains in the Kumite 1 at the event and does not move up to the higher division.
  3. Athlete Competitive Gear follows WKF rules with the minimum being:
    1. Kata athletes – white uniform, red and blue belt.
    2. Kumite athletes – white uniform, red and blue belt, red and blue gloves, either red or blue shin/foot guards, mouth guards and protective cup for males. Optional equipment are chest guards, pre-approved helmets and youth WKF face masks.
  4. Kata Competition
    1. Individual Intermediate and Advanced Kata divisions – athletes must know a minimum of 2 kata. There is no repeating the same kata in back to back performances as performances require an ABAB rotation, or more than 3 different kata performances are allowed.
    2. Kata selection at both zone qualifiers and at the Games – athlete may perform any WKF sanctioned kata in both Intermediate and Advanced divisions
    3. Team Kata – Only one kata is required for all performances and no bunkai (application) performance is required in any round.
  5. Wildcards (WC): Beyond the maximum 12 athletes per zone, there are 17 athlete wildcards to be distributed by the karate provincial advisor for participation in the Games. Specific Games WC policies.
    1. Wildcard criteria to be reviewed by Games staff before approval:
        1. No more than 2 athletes per division per zone
        2. Maximum 3 WC’s for one zone is the norm for all sports
        3. WC athletes nominations are sent by Zone Reps to the karate provincial advisor (PA) for pre-approval before being confirmed by Games staff.
        4. Gender balance is required when distributing WC’s as per the Games gender balance rules. The male/female split of wildcard spots will generally reflect the male/female split for that sport. For example, in karate there are six male classes and six female classes then the WC spots are broken down six and six as well.
    2. Based on the Games rules & WC’s historical application in all sports, the intention is that WC spots are allocated to the next best athletes who did not otherwise qualify for the Games.
    3. Only deserving athletes province-wide are to be given WC’s. Larger zones are not given extra WC’s in order to avoid these zone teams from having an unfair advantage over smaller zones just because they can field more athletes.
    4. A WC is technically given only to an athlete who did not qualify in their respective zone, but from a province-wide perspective may be the 2nd best in their specific division. For example, if 1st & 2nd in Advanced Girls Kata at previous Provincials are both from Zone 2, and then only one of them qualifies for the BCWG zone 2 division, a WC can be requested by the zone rep to the provincial advisor to send the other top provincial athlete to the Games.
    5. Zones with the deeper pools of zone athletes trying out should in theory see a higher quality of athlete winning their zone qualifying divisions, potentially leading to the zone sending stronger athletes to the Games than sent by other zones. One zone should not be trying to win all the medals in a single division at the Games, instead all zones should be shooting for one medal, hopefully gold. There is no requirement for WC’s to be awarded solely in relation to the percentage of athletes trying out by zone, as again this would great an unfair advantage for bigger zones to win medals.
    6. There is no “back-filling” allowed as this creates an imbalance in fairness in the qualifiers & Games itself. The backfilling includes:
      1. smaller zones with empty divisions can not accept out-of-zone athletes joining their team from other zones that are already full
      2. smaller zones can not give away their empty spots to the bigger zones to field multiple athletes in one division
      3. giving out more WC spots just because one zone had the most try-outs in any division is also be seen as back-filling and therefore not allowed
      4. Click HERE for the BC Games policy

Divisions For Tryouts:

  • Advanced Boys Kata
  • Advanced Boys Kumite 1 (-155cm)
  • Advanced Boys Kumite 2 (+156cm)
  • Advanced Girls Kata
  • Advanced Girls Kumite 1 (-156cm)
  • Advanced Girls Kumite 2 (+157cm)
  • Intermediate Boys Kata
  • Intermediate Boys Kumite 1 (-155cm)
  • Intermediate Boys Kumite (+156cm)
  • Intermediate Girls Kata
  • Intermediate Girls Kumite 1 (-156cm)
  • Intermediate Girls Kumite 2 (+157cm)

Athlete Height Guidelines:

Divisions Not Requiring Tryouts (these to be filled by the qualifying athletes at the Games):

  • Advanced boys open weight Kumite
  • Advanced girls open weight Kumite
  • Intermediate boys open weight Kumite
  • Intermediate girls open weight Kumite
  • Boys Team Kumite (3 ath + spare + coach)
  • Girls Team Kumite (3 ath + spare + coach)
  • Boys Team Kata (3 ath + spare + coach)
  • Girls Team Kata (3 ath + spare + coach)

Zone qualifying requirements

BC Games zone reps for karate are confirmed every 2 years by the karate provincial advisor and approved by the BC Games staff. The zone rep organizes the zone qualification system and zone coaches, as well as final registration of the zone team into the BC Games online system. The basic requirements for running a Zone Qualifier are:

  1. When 2 or more athletes register for one division, a proper elimination event is held using the full Karate BC BCWG tournament policies with certified officials.
  2. No zone rep or zone coach may select a zone athlete when 2 or more have registered in the same division.
  3. 1 athlete in a division: they automatically qualify for the division
  4. 2 athletes: best of 3 matches
  5. 3-4 athletes: round robin, with athlete qualifying who achieved the most wins, or if there is a tie, the most points
  6. 5+ athletes: elimination tournament using the repechage system
  7. Kata divisions: same procedures unless new WKF technical scoring equipment and officials are available
  8. No use of grand prix points between kata & kumite, all athletes are welcome to try out for one or both divisions
  9. All zone athletes register for their zone qualification using Trackie. Final zone registration lists are sent from Karate BC to the zone reps
  10. All athletes must be current Karate BC members
  11. If possible the zone rep may invite the highest certified zone officials to assist with a zone qualifying event
  12. No officials training is allowed at zone qualifiers
  13. Standard reporting format for all zones, including WC nominations and substitutions for each division, are required
  14. Zone coaches are to be selected by zone reps prior before the zone qualifiers and approved by the karate provincial advisor before submitting names to the Games staff
  15. All financial requirements for zone activity are supervised by the zone rep, as there are no funds available from Karate BC or the Games Society

Lastly, the BC Games’ Event Manager makes the final decision on accepting all zone team athletes, WC, substitutes, zone coaches & officials once they have been registered in the Games system by each zone rep.

Please remember that nothing is official for anyone attending the Games until the Games Event Manager confirms every registration detail and the Games office sends out official confirmations to all participants in any role in late January.

To make this process easier for the Event Manager, the provincial advisor requires a complete team list from each zone in advance to double check the entries before they are entered into the Games system to reduce any chance of errors.

All communication regarding the Games must go from athletes and parents to zone reps or zone coaches and then pass along to the karate event organizers (sport chair, provincial advisor, etc). To reduce any overload of communication to Games staff, karate is represented to the Games Society by the karate provincial advisor (PA). Any and all concerns can be sent directly to the PA.

Officials Information

Participating in the premier sporting festival of the BC Winter Games as a karate official is an incredible experience to not only play a key role at the karate tournament by providing your officiating expertise, but also to be a dynamic and valued volunteer who is helping to provide an incredibly important competition opportunity to the province’s youth.

BC Games Package for Officials

  1. Requirements for all officials (senior and junior)
    1. Be available for the entire Games event: Wednesday, February 19 to Sunday, February 23.
    2. Be able to travel on BC Games transportation and stay in official accommodation:
      1. senior officials in shared hotel rooms (or official accommodation if hotels are not available)
      2. junior officials Games accommodation with their zone team
  2. Transportation, accommodation and meals arranged by the Host Society at no cost to officials
  3. To and from the Games all officials ride on Games transportation at no personal cost. There are no extra transportation funds available nor required. Officials (and athletes) who live within a 2 hour drive of the venue arrive by personal transportation. Senior officials are free to travel to the Games on their own, but again there is no mileage charge reimbursement available.
  4. The free local transportation is provided by bus and volunteer Games drivers.
  5. All officials are expected to know the BC Games General Rules completely. Click HERE!
  6. Any specific expense requests by official must be authorized BEFORE the event by the karate Provincial Advisor.
  7. As the BC Games promotes the spirit of volunteering, there are no honorariums for officials or coaches.
  8. While 29 officials are listed on the karate technical package, there are actually 25 positions available total for senior and junior officials. The provincial advisor, the assistant provincial advisor, the tournament director and the chief official are included in 4 of the 29 positions, whereafter the 25 positions are for officials.

Selection process for Officials – Senior and Junior

  1. Any Karate BC current member who is a certified official or who would like to become a certified official, may apply for a senior or junior officials position.
  2. Zone reps may also invite current officials to apply and they may also invite 16/17yr old Karate BC members to apply for the Games specific karate juniors official’s program.
  3. After reviewing applications by zone, BCWG zone reps & KBC Officials Committee zone reps will provide a list of recommended zone officials to the Karate BC Officials Committee Chair and BC Winter Games Chief Official for review and selection. The Chair and Chief Official are to determine the final number of senior and junior officials that make up the 25 total positions.
  4. The selected officials are then approved by the karate Provincial Advisor, who registers each name into the BC Games participant system. Games staff make the final approval of all participants, including officials, in January.
  5. Senior official (SO)
    1. 18 years of age and up
    2. has own official’s uniform
    3. preferably has a current official’s qualification
    4. preferably has previous Games, Provincials or Nationals officiating experience
  6. Junior official (JO)
    1. 16/17 years old as of the first day of the Games
    2. has own official’s uniform
    3. previous BCWG experience as an athlete is a bonus
    4. able to complete all the certification requirements both before and during the Games
    5. holding a current official’s qualification is a bonus, but not required

BC Winter Games 2020 Official’s Certification Course

The official’s certification course offered at the Games is normally held on Friday morning.

All officials are invited to attend the course. All junior officials are required to complete the course in order to receive training and certification. Some senior officials may also be able to upgrade their officiating credentials.

Any official participating in the course to certify or upgrade their current certification is required to study the required WKF rules documents completely and then complete the online official’s tests prior to the Games. Successful grades on the written tests must be achieved prior to commencing with the practical evaluations during the karate tournament.

For the course, loose comfortable clothing is recommended. Bring along a pen and paper, and your own copy of the recent WKF rules and Karate BC modifications.

All officials will require the appropriate dress code during the tournament, including a whistle.

BC Winter Games KARATE JUNIOR OFFICIALS program (JO)

The karate junior official’s program at the Games has proven to be a highly successful at training and certifying new youth officials in a fun and rewarding atmosphere.

This program is unique to the Games karate tournament and it provides valuable learning, certification, leadership and mentorship to new youth 16/17 year old officials.

Junior officials work with experienced senior officials to learn officiating in a positive competition atmosphere. Since most junior officials are still active karate athletes themselves, certifying as an official and receiving more in depth knowledge of the rules is an important benefit for competing far better at tournaments.

At the Games, JO’s assist the senior officials in ensuring there is a level playing field for all competitors and impartially choosing the tournament’s winners according to the rules of competition.

All officials are required to read and know the Games code of conduct thoroughly. Click here!

Junior officials are always to be respectful and to learn as much as they can. During the tournament, they are professional and show no favourites while acting as an official.

Having fun and enjoying the event is encouraged! The event organizers and senior officials are there to help all JO’s become a better official and to have a great experience.

During the tournament, JO’s are part of the official’s team. Outside of the tournament during all Games related travel and activities, the JO’s are classified by the zone they live in and therefore they are part of that zone team’s overall participation. The JO’s are not official’s representing their zone in the competition.

Other than the zone rep, junior officials have 2 direct supervisors for the whole Games process (before and during); zone head coach and tournament chief official

Zone head coach – For travel to and from the Games and in the Games accommodation, junior officials follow the guidance of their zone’s coaches, assisting the coaches wherever needed with the zone athletes (meal time, transitioning from one location to another, etc). These extra duties beyond officiating provide excellent youth leadership opportunities. JO’s also assist in supervising the zone athletes for maintaining a clean accommodation facility. Always leave the facility in better condition than it was found! After at the JO’s arrive at the venue each morning with their zone team they then join the rest of the officials. For dinner at the end of each day JO’s travel with their zone team and are accompanied by senior officials to relax and discuss how the day went and what was learned. After dinner JO’s will travel back to the dorms with their zone team. All JO’s movement and activity is supervised by the zone coaches.

Chief official – During the karate tournament junior officials will follow the guidance of the chief official until a senior official passes their supervision back to the zone coach. JO’s are always encouraged to ask the chief official and tatami managers any questions regarding officiating and rules as well as for feedback on officiating.

BC Winter Games 2020 Application for Karate Senior & Junior Officials

Please click HERE to sign up to be a karate Official at the BC Winter Games.

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