International Traditional Karate Federation

{{short description|International governing body for Traditional Karate}}

{{infobox organization

|name = International Traditional Karate Federation

|image = ITKF-Logo.jpg

|image_border =

|size = 160px

|caption =

|formation = 1974

|extinction =

|type = Sports martial art association

|status = Federation

|purpose = Development of Traditional Karate Worldwide

|headquarters = Curitiba, Brazil

|location = Brazil

|region_served = Worldwide

|membership =

|leader_title = Chairman

|leader_name = Gilberto Gaertner

|main_organ = Brazil office & administration

|budget =

|website = {{url|www.itkf.global}}

|remarks = Founder - H. Nishiyama

}}

The {{Nihongo|International Traditional Karate Federation|国際伝統空手連盟|Kokusai Dentō Karate Renmei}} or ITKF is the international governing body for Traditional Karate. This organisation was founded by Hidetaka Nishiyama. In the early 1990s, Nishiyama's refusal to align his ITKF organization with the World Union of Karate-Do Organizations (WUKO) caused the International Olympic Committee to suspend its recognition of WUKO as amateur karate's international governing body."Karate in the Olympics? More than a pipe dream". {{cite book|author=Active Interest Media, Inc.|title=Black Belt|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_ktwDAAAAMBAJ|date=February 1985|publisher=Active Interest Media, Inc.|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_ktwDAAAAMBAJ/page/n39 40]–44|issn=0277-3066}}Coleman, J. (1993): "Watch out, WUKO—Here comes Shotokan Karate's Nishiyama! Noted Instructor claims he is ready to lead Olympic Karate movement if IOC ousts WUKO." Black Belt, 31(4):18–22.

According to the IOC decision 101 from 1993 the ITKF and WUKO had been due to merge and form a unified karate organization under the IOC suggested name of WKF. The IOC further indicated its intention to recognize the merged WKF should ITKF and WUKO successfully fulfill the IOC 101 decision guidelines, but this did not eventuate.[http://www.wukf-karate.org/novo_site/About_WUKF.html World Union of Karate-Do Federations: About us] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507155514/http://www.wukf-karate.org/novo_site/About_WUKF.html |date=2010-05-07 }} (c. 2009). Retrieved on April 17, 2010. The WUKO eventually became the World Union of Karate-Do Federations in late 2008.

== ITKF Officials ==

• Chairman: Prof. Gilberto Gaertner
• President: Rômulo Valdemar Ribeiro Machado
• Vice President: Sandrine El Marhomy https://itkf.global/about-us/
• Board of Directors: Antonio Walger, Roman Pavlovic, Fernando Silva, Ramy El Mekawy, Ibrahim Al Bakr.
• General Secretary: Luiz Alberto Küster
• Treasurer: Rui Francisco Martins Marçal
• Director General: Sadiomar Santos
• Technical Committee: Sensei Tasuke Watanabe (in memoriam), Sensei Gilberto Gaertner, Sensei Eligio Contareli, Sensei Justo Gomez
• Communications & Marketing Committee: Eyal Nir, Roman Pavlovic, Ibrahim Al-Bakr, Leonardo Neves Berg do Prado,
• Innovation and Technology Committee: Vinícius Sant’Anna Pinto, Joarez Evangelista Franco Junior, Rafael Gustavo Gaertner, Sheriff Abuel Enein