AUCKLAND OPEN AND SCHOOLS KARATE CHAMPIONSHIP - 2022

Karate Auckland invite entries to the Auckland Open and Schools Karate Championship for 2022. Participation in this event is open to all Karate New Zealand Clubs and Associations.

● Date: Sunday 16 October 2022

● Venue: Auckland Netball Centre Stadium - 7 Allison Ferguson Drive, St Johns, Auckland 1072

Please read this carefully as there are several changes to note.

NB: Regional competitions are voluntary programmes and we rely on volunteer support from Auckland member clubs to host events effectively. When entering data on the sports data system, please endeavour to enter the details of at least one official (Referee or Marshall, or Table Staff) for every 10 students your club enters in the event.

SCHOOLS AND OPEN DIVISIONS COMBINED FOR 2022

• Because of timing constraints and venue availability, the Auckland Schools Championships and the Auckland Open for those corresponding age categories have been combined for the 2022 event.
• Students should enter via their clubs on Sportdata as normal.
• Once entries have been confirmed, individual school age students will be contacted by Karate Auckland (via their clubs) to confirm the names of their schools so that the results of the school age divisions will record both the students club and their primary, intermediate or secondary school.

DIVISIONS EXPLAINED

Coaches are responsible for the registration of students in the correct division. Competitors cannot enter more than one of the specified Development or Intermediate or Premier categories at the same Championships.

DEVELOPMENT LEVEL

Development level is intended for beginner level students with no or limited experience in tournaments. As a rule of thumb development is aimed at providing competition opportunity for students who are 10-7^th kyu.

We suggest that where a student wins Gold twice in a development category event they are ready to step up to Intermediate level events.

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL

Development level is intended for more experienced students but who are not ready yet for premier level competition.  As a rule of thumb development is aimed at providing competition opportunity for students who are 6^th to 1st kyu or for Dan grade students who have not competed under WKF rules before or on only a few occasions.

Once you participate as an Intermediate competitor you cannot move back down to Development when you change age groups.

Again, we suggest that once an intermediate competitor wins Gold twice in a category they are ready to step up to Premier level events.

PREMIER EVENTS

Premier events are essentially open events

They are suitable for students with “many years’ experience of competing in tournaments” under WKF rules of competition or those who want to test themselves at the highest level of competition available on the day. Competing at premier level is also a requirement for KNZ team selection.

Once you have competed at Premier level you cannot move back down to Development or Intermediate when you change age groups.

AGES FOR CATEGORIES FOR THIS TOURNAMENT:

Premier, Intermediate, and Development – age as of 16 October 2022.

CLUB PAYMENT FOR ENTRY FEES BY INTERNET BANKING:

A delegate from each club must complete all entries and payments. When paying entry fees by internet banking, please ensure that you note that the payment is for AKL Champs. Payment is not permitted by individual competitors; clubs pay as a single combined payment. Refunds, if required, will be paid back to Clubs.

TOURNAMENT FEES:

Individual Entry          (Fees for the Kata & Kumite)

ALL ENTRIES MUST BE ENTERED ONLINE IN SPORTDATA VIA YOUR CLUB INSTRUCTOR OR DESIGNATED PERSON. Whoever registers the athletes for their club in Sportdata is responsible for informing players, coaches, instructors, parents, and supporters of the Terms and Conditions | Health and Safety | Code of Conduct as set out in the KNZ guidelines for competition.

● All entries, players, and coaches must be entered on Sportdata by Saturday 8 October 2022. NO LATE ENTRIES OR CHANGES TO ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED by the Tournament Organising Committee. This is necessary to enable the tournament organisers to plan more effectively and publish the final timetable earlier. If there are insufficient entries in a particular division, then divisions may be combined or not held.

● All entry fees are paid as one club payment by 6:00 pm WEDNESDAY 12 October 2022 – 4 days before the competition. PAYMENT OF ENTRY FEES BY INTERNET BANKING TO KARATE AUCKLAND [Internet Banking Westpac Account: 03 0123 0328727 00 - add your club’s name with 'AK OPEN-22' in the bank reference.

TOURNAMENT PROGRAMME:

Please consult the draw and timetable on the Sportdata website for final times closer to the tournament time when competitor numbers are confirmed.

Provisional:

Sunday 16 October 2022: Subject to change based on entries.

Beginning at 8:00 am – Premier & Intermediate Grades (KATA, KUMITE, TEAM)

Beginning at 12:00 pm – Development Grades (KATA, KUMITE, TEAM)

TOURNAMENT RULES:

• During the bow in at the beginning of the tournament, all players must be in Gi or Club tracksuit and should present themselves correctly.
• Coaches must wear their club tracksuits.
• Coaches must be registered per club. WKF Rules will be applied for Premier Grades in this Tournament.
• All entries submitted and accepted are final. Ensure all entries are completed correctly as incorrect age or weight information may result in disqualification from the tournament.
• Coaches/Clubs, please ensure your player information is up to date in the Sportdata system; athletes get older and heavier/lighter and change grades. (The Sportdata system will only adjust age – not weight or grade).
• Only registered coaches will be allowed on the tatami at any time.
• Registered coaches should be able to administer First Aid and be aware of the signs of concussion https://www.accsportsmart.co.nz/concussion/.
• The Organising Committee reserves the right to withdraw, combine or change Event Categories if and when required up to 48 hours before the Competition Opening.
• All players must present themselves to the Registration Table and register before their competitions. (Kumite players will be weighed) - Registration times will be posted once the timetable is finalised.
• ALL ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED with FEE by 6 October 2022, or they will stay on the Waiting list.

TOURNAMENT REQUIREMENTS:

KATA:

WKF  rules will apply with the following modifications for regional competition:

Individual Kata:

● Premier competitors - any approved WKF Kata. No Repeats as per WKF rules. Electronically scored Kata events, as per the WKF rules and table below. Please see the  WKF rules for more detail.

● Intermediate competitors – any Kata from the Intermediate and Development KNZ list. Competitors can not repeat consecutively, i.e. A,B,A,B, ... The WKF flag system will be used.

● Development competitors – any Kata from the Development KNZ list. Competitors can repeat consecutively, i.e. A,A,A ... The WKF flag system will be used.

Team Kata:

• 5 – 9 Years Old: WKF and the KNZ Kata can be repeated; Bunkai not required for medal rounds; Ages: 5 - 9 Years Old, inclusive.can be mixed ( Male / Female )
• 10 – 13 Years Old: WKF Kata can be repeated, but not consecutively; Bunkai required for medal rounds; Ages: 10 - 13 Years Old, inclusive.
• 14 – 17 Years Old: (Junior and Cadet) WKF Kata can be repeated, but not consecutively; Bunkai required for medal rounds; Ages: 14 - 17 Years Old, inclusive.
• 16 Years plus: WKF Kata in all rounds, no repetition permitted, Bunkai required for medal rounds; Ages 16 - 99 Years Old, inclusive.
• Must be completed within 5 minutes, including Bunkai.
• There will be a limit of TWO teams per club that can be entered in each male and female category - players entered in the team/s must be registered and financial members of the club entering.

NB: Competitors must announce the name of the Kata they will be performing before they start performing the Kata. They must also bow inside the competition area before starting and bow after completing the Kata. The competitor will be disqualified for failing to do so.

KUMITE:

• All Kumite divisions, depending on numbers, could be split into weight divisions, so please ensure your player's weight is correctly entered on Sportdata; otherwise, you may be disqualified from competing (non-WKF weight grades may differentiate weight grades).
• For ages 13 and under, techniques toward the JODAN area ( Head, Face, Neck) can score, but No contact, Any contact (unless as a result of self-endangerment - Mubobi), including skin touch, will be penalised.
• WKF points, warning, and penalty systems will be used for all Kumite Events.
• For ages 14 and over, the WKF rules will apply.

Kumite Bout Duration

• 6 – 13 years old - 2.0 minutes - Running clock unless stopped for an injury.
• 14 – 17 years old - 2.0 minutes
• 18 years and older (U21 and Senior) - 3.0 minutes
• Veteran (35 years and older) - 2.0 minutes

NB: According to the event numbers, the Organising Committee may decide to vary the duration.

Kumite Teams:

Clubs have first call on competitors. However, to maximise participation all teams are to be named in the entry with two or three players. The number of competitors in each team is for our KNZ competition (not necessarily WKF numbers). Age is on Sunday 16 October 2022.

• 6-9 Years: one player aged 6-7, another aged 7-8 years, and another 8-9 years; a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 3 players in each team.
• 10-13 Years: one player aged 10-11, another aged 11-12 years, and another 12-13 years; a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 3 players in each team.
• 14-17 Years: one player aged 14-15, another aged 15-16 years, and another 16-17 years]; a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 3 players in each team.
• Female 18 years and older: a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 3 players in each team.
• Male 18 years and older: a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 3 players in each team.
• All Kumite teams are to be confirmed by name, in writing, before 8:00 am Sunday 16 October 2022 and given to the Tournament Organising Committee - a form will be made available on the day.

EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS:

All competitors (Kumite and Kata) must wear a clean white Gi in good condition.

• Competitors who are Premier competitors must follow the WKF rules, i.e. white karate gi without stripes, piping, or personal embroidery.
• ALL PREMIER KUMITE COMPETITORS MUST WEAR Mouthguards, Body protectors (protection), Red and Blue belts, and Red and Blue hand mitts (matching the belt they are competing in). Foot protectors must match the belt colour.
• All Equipment should be KNZ, Oceania, or WKF approved. The referees will confirm final approval.
• Kumite competitors may wear their own groin protectors (WKF type)
• Female Kumite 11-year-olds & above – recommended to wear approved chest protectors (breast protector) underneath the body protector.
• Head protectors is strongly suggested (but not compulsory) – this can be a WKF face mask or other padded protection as deemed acceptable by the tournament organising committee.

KATA & KUMITE EVENT MANAGEMENT:

Kumite and Flagged Kata events:

The final decision for events will be made after the numbers competing are confirmed.

Repechage:

Divisions with three competitors will be run round robin with the placing decided on the number of wins achieved. If each competitor has one win, then each then placing will be decided on the total points scored over all matches. If total points scored are even, then total points scored against will be calculated with the lowest total declared the winner.

Divisions with four competitors will have a match between the two competitors who have not won a match to decide on a single third place.

Divisions with four to eight competitors will have a single third-place decided using the repechage system Divisions with nine or more competitors will use repechage to decide the third-equal placing.

For Karate, repechage involves the competitors who were beaten by a finalist playing off to decide the 3rd / 3rd equal placing/s. This means that all medal winners, except possibly for third-place in a round-robin division, will have won at least one match.

Coaches

As per WKF rules, Coaches must follow the code of behaviour and the dress code, namely club or national tracksuit. Only one coach can be on the mat at a time, only official coaches on the mat and in the warm-up area.

HEALTH AND SAFETY:

As part of Health and Safety, we need to ensure that player weights for Kumite are correct, to avoid injuries. Therefore, check that player weights for Kumite are accurate on Club information in Sportdata. An incorrect weight category entered could result in disqualification from that event.

In the event of an emergency, we will follow the lead from the event centre staff who will confirm the venue’s procedures for these situations Stay calm and listen to the microphone announcements.

REFUND POLICY:

A full refund of the Entry Fee paid can only be given if a competitor withdraws for good reason. If your event has been cancelled due to a lack of numbers and you have not been reallocated to another event, you will then be eligible for a refund for that portion of your entry fee.

PLEASE NOTE: It is the player’s responsibility to listen for events being called and to report to the Mat Marshall on time. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.

TOURNAMENT ORGANISING COMMITTEE:

If any information in this bulletin is updated before the event, clubs will b advised by email and via the Karate Auckland Face Book page. If you have any queries. Please feel free to contact Karate Auckland via  karatenz.auckland@gmail.com     

DISPUTES:

A Tournament Disputes sub-committee will be established to consider and resolve any disputes during and after the tournament.

2022 - Auckland Open and Schools Karate Championships - Categories

categories may be combined depending on entry numbers.