The 12th Commonwealth Karate Championships brought national teams to the Glasgow International Arena on 5 and 6 November for the Elite competition, the event that crowns Commonwealth champions in kata and kumite under WKF rules. That competition is distinct from the club events organised on 7 and 8 November. With the Elite titles settled, attention turns to the next edition, expected in 2028. According to information gathered by karate.news, Australia and Cyprus are among the countries that have put themselves forward to host it.

England’s 33 titles, Scotland’s 18

Over the two Elite days, England finished with 33 gold, 20 silver and 27 bronze medals, 80 in all. The second day did most of the work: 22 of those titles came in the individual kumite programme on 6 November, spread from the 12–13 age group to the seniors (Day 2 report).

Scotland, the host nation, collected 18 gold, 18 silver and 19 bronze, 55 medals in total. It won 13 kumite titles on the second day, four of them in senior categories, after both team kumite titles, men’s and women’s, on the opening day (Day 1 report).

Behind them, the table was tightly packed. Canada finished with 5 gold, 9 silver and 6 bronze; Cyprus with 5, 5 and 10; India with 4, 3 and 17, the third-largest total at 24 medals; Wales with 3, 2 and 8; Australia with 2, 5 and 11; and New Zealand with 1, 3 and 3. In all, sixteen nations reached the Elite podium.

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Two candidates, two Glasgow stories

The two countries named for 2028 left Glasgow with contrasting records. Cyprus had no medals on the opening day, then won all 20 of its medals on 6 November, including five titles, every one of them in the youngest age groups, the 12–13 and cadet categories. Australia spread its 18 medals across both days, with two gold medals and a large share of bronze.

Those results say nothing about how the next host will be chosen.

A two-year rhythm

A 2028 edition would follow the pattern of recent years. After Birmingham in 2022, the 11th championships went to Durban, South Africa, from 28 November to 1 December 2024. In its letter announcing that award, the Commonwealth Karate Federation said the athletes would be crowned Commonwealth champions “in their respective divisions from 2024 to 2026” (2024 event bulletin). Glasgow then took over in 2026.

Plans can also change along the way. The 2024 championships had first been scheduled for September in Dhaka, Bangladesh, before moving to Durban in November (Karate Australia).

What Glasgow leaves behind

England leaves Glasgow with the most titles, Scotland with senior champions crowned at home, and Cyprus with a breakthrough driven by its youngest athletes. The next chapter is expected in 2028.

Sources

Image: Official event poster.

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