Karate

 

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam will host the Southeast Asian Karate Championship 2026 in July in Ninh Bình Province, marking the first time the regional tournament has been staged in the country.

The event underlines Việt Nam’s status as the leading karate nation in ASEAN, with the national team having dominated recent regional competitions.

Vũ Sơn Hà, an official with the Sports Authority of Việt Nam’s Karate Department, said the championship would feature 17 categories across kata (performance) and kumite (combat).

Last year, Vietnamese fighters collected 28 gold medals at senior, junior and cadet tournaments, comfortably topping the medal table at the championships in Brunei.

At the 33rd SEA Games, the team again finished first overall, winning six gold medals to secure top spot for a third consecutive Games.

Ahead of the Ninh Bình event, Việt Nam will send its martial artists to the 2026 AKF Senior Championships in Bali, Indonesia, from June 19 to 21.

The team will then compete at the Asian Games in Japan in September. — VNS