Dundee is set to host the World Union of Karate-Do Federations (WUKF) World Karate Championships for All Ages – for the second time.
The championships will take place in July 2023 with the event bringing more than 4500 athletes, coaches, supporters and officials from across the globe.
Once again Dundee Ice Arena will be transformed to host the event from July 13 to 16 and legacy and sustainability have been placed at the heart of preparations.
Mark Flynn convener of Dundee City Council’s city development committee said:“The last time the championships were here in 2018 almost £10m was generated for the Dundee economy and it provided a showcase for the city to encourage participants, family and officials to visit again as tourists.
“We are working closely with Dundee-based Kanzen Karate, Leisure and Culture Dundee and other partners to make next year’s event even better than the phenomenal success’ it was described as four years ago by WUKF World President, Dr Liviu Crisan.
“Dundee’s facilities are up there with the likes of other previous host cities including Dublin, Bratislava, Cluj-Napoca and Fort Lauderdale, and I am sure that next summer will be a great event.”
The WUKF is a democratic non-profit making international sport Karate body and one of the largest in the world. The organisation exists to provide high level Karate competition for athletes worldwide and membership is open to all organisations and federations.
Kanzen Karate is a registered charity which exists to build better lives through the provision of physical activity and education.
Roy O’Kane, Chief Officer of Kanzen Karate said:“We are delighted to host this event once again in the City of Dundee. While the event in 2018 was a tremendous success, we want to make 2023 bigger and better for everyone involved.
“Dundee will once again open its arms in the spirit of friendship to the world. It is a tremendous opportunity for all Karate participants to be part of something special. We look forward to working with partners across the city to ensure to deliver an outstanding event and we wish to thank Dundee City Council for their support.”
Dundee City Council
Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.
