Karate Pilipinas president Richard Lim (left) looks forward to the successful hosting of the Karate One-Youth League at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on May 14-17, 2026. With him are Mixed Martial Arts gold medalist Charlie Radcliffe (center) and her brother Travis, who won a silver, during the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain last October. (Contributed photo)
The Philippines is set to take center stage in global youth karate as it hosts the third leg of the Karate One-Youth League from May 14 to 17, 2026, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Designed for athletes aged 14 to 17, the prestigious international series will open in Fujairah from February 12 to 15, followed by the Harare, Zimbabwe leg on March 27 to 29. After Manila, the tour continues to Porec (July 2–5), Guadalajara (September 17–21), and culminates in Venice from December 10 to 13.
To determine the country’s representatives, Karate Pilipinas will stage a National Championships in Tagaytay in March, giving aspiring young karatekas a direct pathway to world-class competition.
Karate Pilipinas president Richard Lim urged patience in setting expectations, noting that many Filipino bets will be experiencing elite international competition for the first time. “It’s hard to predict medal chances at this point, since most of them will be competing for the first time in a high-caliber championship,” Lim said.
Around 100 countries are expected to participate, making the Youth League the biggest international karate event to be staged in the Philippines since the 2024 Asian Youth (Cadet, Junior and U21) Karate Championships. Lim emphasized that hosting such tournaments is part of a long-term strategy to elevate the sport locally.
“We started hosting youth events to promote and upgrade our young athletes. They are the next generation of Philippine karate. Even those who don’t compete benefit by experiencing a world-class event,” Lim said.
Lim himself brings deep competitive pedigree to the role, having once reached a career-best world ranking of No. 8 and winning multiple medals across the SEA Games, Asian Games, and Asian Championships.
Organizational support is being led by the Philippine Sports Commission, which is spearheading preparations through the National Sports Tourism Inter-Agency Committee. The committee was formed under Administrative Order No. 38 signed by Ferdinand Marcos Jr., with PSC chairman Patrick Gregorio serving as NST-IAC chair and the Department of Tourism as vice-chair.
With global attention and hundreds of young athletes converging on Manila, the 2026 Karate One-Youth League leg is shaping up not only as a major sporting spectacle, but also as a milestone for Philippine sports tourism and grassroots karate development.