The Karate Premier League 2025 is close to its end at Cairo

The Premier League has come to an end. The final stage of the tournament, which this year became the Premier League and the World Championship, was held in Cairo. Therefore, karatekas had the opportunity not only to feel the drive of the rating tournament, but also to do their homework before the main start of the year.

Traditionally, the Premier League ensured a high turnout of participants. 377 athletes from 65 countries came to the capital of Egypt. The largest team was presented by Italy (41 athletes), large delegations also came from Japan (31), France (29), and the hosts of the tatami declared 24 karatekas.

One of the largest karate centers in Africa, Cairo hosted the prestigious ranking series for the third year in a row. Moreover, in 2015 and 2016, the tournament was held in Sharm el-Sheikh before moving to Cairo, where it has been organized for the last three years.

The Premier League, where participants also earn ranking points in the fight for the right to go to the World Championships, has assembled a stellar line-up of participants. One of the highlights was the return to the tatami after maternity leave of the world champion in athletics, Olympic silver medalist Azerbaijani sportswoman Zaretska Iryna (68 kg). In Cairo, she won two victories, and although she was left outside the quarterfinals, it is clear that the leader of the world rankings is still gaining form and will certainly make a name for herself.

Mahjoub Wafa showed herself well. The representative of Tunisia, competing in the weight category up to 61 kg, reached the quarterfinals. In the group stage, she defeated Mia Cacko (Croatia, 5:0), Radjenovic Nina (Switzerland, 8:5) and Garces Sequera Claudymar (Venezuela, 5:0). In the quarterfinals, Mahjoub met with the Egyptian Aly Noursin. The fight was productive, with an abundance of blows, and the athlete from Tunisia had a chance to win. But in the end, she lost with a score of 7:9. Her offender lost in the semifinals, thereby depriving Wafa of the opportunity to compete for bronze.

Nilsson Anna-Johanna also competed in this weight category. The Swedish athlete successfully completed the group stage, although in the first fight she lost to Turkish Yenen Fatma Naz with a score of 1:2. However, she won the subsequent fights, defeating Ajaray Maryam (BEL, 4:3) and Topalovic Lejla (AUT, 2:0). This allowed Nilsson to take first place in the quartet and advance to the quarterfinals. In the fight for the right to reach the semi-finals, Anna-Johanna fought with Bakirova Aizhan from Kazakhstan. The fight ended in a draw, but the judges gave preference to the opponent, who subsequently failed to reach the final.

The other athletes performed less successfully. Sweden’s Rosenlind Matilda (55 kg) and Bao Bednarski Sophie (+68 kg) finished last in their groups. A particularly disappointing result for Bednarski, who won bronze in the A series in Tbilisi this year. Sweden’s Vu Anthony competed in kata, winning one victory.

After the Cairo stage, the Premier League has one tournament left to hold. It will be held from May 30 to June 1 in Rabat (Morocco), where the main winners of the “Grand Winners” will be named.

Dr. Sobhi’s presence at the competition reflects the solid backing that karate receives from both local and national authorities. This support comes at a crucial moment as Cairo is preparing to host the World Senior Championships in November—karate’s biggest event. The upcoming championships will mark a major milestone for the sport in the country and on the international stage.

Following Dr Sobhi’s attendance at the event, a Karate delegation was welcomed by Dr Sobhi at the offices of the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Cairo. Headed by WKF President Antonio Espinós and including WKF Vice President Nasser Alrazooqi, Egyptian Karate Federation President Mohamed Mahrous Eldahrawy, and WKF Assistant General Secretary Davor Cipek, the Karate delegation met with Dr Sobhi to discuss the progress of the upcoming World Senior Championships in Cairo.

WKF President Antonio Espinós said:

“We are deeply grateful to Minister Sobhi for once again supporting our sport. His commitment is helping make karate one of the most followed and practised sports in Egypt. Minister Sobhi is a long-time supporter of Karate, and his involvement underlines Egypt’s continued commitment to Karate’s development.”

“I also want to thank the Egyptian Karate Federation and its President, Mohamed Mahrous Eldahrawy, who is also a member of the WKF Executive Committee, for hosting this event and for his continued efforts to strengthen karate both in Egypt and globally,” Mr. Espinós added.