July 2026 Referee Update

The 2026 National Championships in Spokane this month will start with the Referee Course on Wednesday, July 15, along with coaching courses, the youth development jamboree, Dan exams, and more! We are pleased to welcome the dedicated referees that are continuing their journey with USA Karate, providing high-quality standards of officiating to the athletes at this event. There is also an opportunity for officials to test for a kata and kumite license at this signature event. All officials must be current with membership, SafeSport training, and background screen to register: Registration 2026 USA Karate Nationals held in Spokane, WA.

Participating officials need to attend the mandatory Kata-specific guideline session from 4:30 to 5:30 at the venue. We are pleased to also have the Para Karate coaches provide an overview of Para-Kihon. The mandatory Referee Briefing will be held at the Centennial Hotel ballroom at 6 p.m. Click here for the full agenda - 2026NationalsRefereeCourseSchedule.

The regional referee program continues to be successful. There have been 34 regional referee programs conducted since January 2026. Sanctioned regional referee courses were conducted recently in Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah.

USA NKF

Our USA Karate WKF officials represented USA Karate well in the Premier League in Rabat in June: Fariba Madani, Chris Hodgin, and Kathy Bailey. Six of our international officials also participated in the NA Cup in Montreal: Fariba Madani, Kathy Bailey, Jay Farrell, Vince Garcia, Dejan Miloshevski, and Senthil Thiyagarajan. USA Karate athletes and coaches performed well at the NA Cup, securing 16 medals and five qualifications to the Pan American Games!

USA NKF

The next Referee Training Camp is being held July 31 to August 2, 2026, with the Q3 National Training Camp/PKF Jr. Training Camp in Denver, Colorado. The camp will have access to top athletes, coaches, and referees. In addition to increasing referee standards of officiating, the camp offers an excellent opportunity for USA Karate coaches to obtain or upgrade their referee licenses. A discounted rate for the referee licensing course and the  referee training camp is being offered exclusively to coaches. Register online: 2026 USA Karate Referee Training Camp Denver, CO.

See everyone soon at the 2026 National Championships!