1. Field of play description/requirements

  1. Field of Play description/requirements
    1. The competition area will be a World Karate Federation (WKF) approved matted square, with sides of eight metres (measured from the outside) with the mats in the outer one-metre area in red, marking the boundary.
    2. In addition, there will be at a further 2 metres matted safety area on all sides of the competition area. This may be reduced to 1.5 metres to accommodate number of Tatami where the sports hall has insufficient space for 2 metres.
    3. There must be no advertisements, signs, walls, pillars etc. within one metre of the safety area's outer perimeter.
    4. Where monitors or displays are placed between the competition areas these must be placed far enough from the competition areas to allow a safety area of 1.5 metres between competition areas on all sides. (The monitors must be placed minimum 1.5 metres from the outside of the red warning areas).
    5. If the competition area is elevated another metre to a total of 3 metres is required on all sides.
    6. Two mats are inverted with the red (or otherwise coloured) side turned up in one metre distance from the mat centre to form a boundary between the Competitors. When starting or resuming combat the Competitors will be standing front and centre on the mat facing each other.
    7. The Referee (Shushin) will be standing centred between the two mats facing the Competitors at two metres from the boundary of the competition area.
    8. Each Judge (Fukushin) will be seated at the corners on the Tatami in the safety area. The Referee may move around the entire Tatami, including the safety area where the Judges are seated. Each Judge will be equipped with a red and a blue flag or electronic signal device.
    9. The Match Supervisor (Kansa) will be seated just outside the safety area, behind, and to the left or right of the Referee. He/she will be equipped with a whistle.
    10. The Score Supervisor will be seated at the official score table besides the score/timekeeper, and where video is deployed, so will the Video Review Supervisors.
    11. Coaches will be seated outside the safety area, on their respective sides of the Tatami towards the official table.
    12. Where the Tatami area is elevated, the Coaches will be placed outside the elevated area behind their respective Competitors.

2. Field of play variations

  1. Variations
    1. 1b may be reduced to 1.5 metres to accommodate number of Tatami where the sports hall has insufficient space for 2 metres.
    2. 1k: In cases where the configuration of Tatami makes it impractical to place the Coaches facing the official table, they may instead be placed on each side of the official table. If in such cases video review is used, Coach supervisors must be deployed.