National Championships Update - May 28

The 2020 USA Karate National Championships and Team Trial have been Canceled.

May 28, 2020

Dear Members,
The Coronavirus continues to impact our activities.  Across the country we have varying states of stay at home regulations, travel restrictions and social distancing requirements, which leads to significant challenges in how we host large competitions.  While we are seeing some professional events starting to resume without spectators, it would be difficult to host a National Championships given the number of young athletes in our events in addition to the number of people required to make a tournament of our size run effectively. 
 
USA Karate has been meeting regularly to discuss the most up-to-date information and its effects on our membership and signature events. While we are starting to see some parts of the country open up, it is still not widespread. 
 
After meeting with Spokane and reviewing the current state of the requirements for gathering, we have collectively decided to cancel the National Championship and Team Trials this July. We have worked together to move the contract to 2022 when Spokane will host our National Championships at their new venue. Although we hope to be able to host an event near the end of the year, it’s still too early to make any plans for a 2020 event, as the restore phases of each state are different and everchanging. 

We understand a huge concern in canceling the National Championship and Team Trials is the impact on the selection of the 2020 Junior Team for the Jr PKF Championship in Monterey, Mexico.  Based on the information we have on the current state of the coronavirus and the current travel restrictions both Nationally and within the USOPC, we will not be sending a team to the Junior PKF Championship, even if the event is not cancelled. However, based on current conditions, we expect the event will be cancelled. While we understand there will be significant disappointment, we need to be focused on the safety of our athletes, coaches, officials and staff. 
We are closely monitoring the cases of COVID-19 in the US and looking to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO) and US Olympic and Paralympic Committee Infectious Disease Advisory Group for guidance as we continue to prepare for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in July of 2021. We understand how important it is to our members to receive information in a timely manner, and we are doing our best to ensure that all information about the coronavirus is easily accessible and readily available. We have all the information posted on our website at coronavirus.usankf.org.

 
Through the end of the year, USA Karate strongly recommends that organizers of its sanctioned events continue to work with their local health department for guidance on hosting activities in their communities. 
 
USA Karate continues to stress the importance of preventing the spread of infection and recommends taking the following precautions:
 

• Avoid close contact to anyone coughing or sneezing.
• Keep a safe social distance of 6-8 feet
• Avoid crowds of greater than 10 people
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer that has 60-95% alcohol. This is especially important after going to the bathroom, before eating, or after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing; 
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Wear a mask 
• Cover your mouth with a tissue or your elbow if you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash, and then wash your hands.
• Stay home if you are sick.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces regularly.
• Monitor the WHO and CDC websites for travel advisories and follow their recommendations

USA Karate will continue to update our decisions and recommendations, and provide regular updates to the public as we receive new information. Please regularly visit USA Karate’s dedicated