The event, which began today at the Sporthalle Hamburg with qualifications in kata and team kata disciplines, is the penultimate competition on the Karate1 Premier League calendar.

The amount of entrants in Hamburg, which entered the race for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games before withdrawing in November after the public voted against the bid in a referendum, represents the biggest field in this year’s Karate1 Premier League series.

A total of 1,164 karatekas from 72 countries will compete, beating the previous best mark of 1,012, set during the Paris Open in January.

Brazilian world and Pan American champion Douglas Brose, a gold medallist in the under 60kg kumite category on home soil in Fortaleza last weekend, is again one of the leading athletes among the field.

Azerbaijan’s Rafael Aghayev, a four-time world champion, is likely to be the one to beat in the men’s under 75kg kumite division, with Enes Erkan of Turkey aiming to continue his excellent run of form in the over 81kg kumite competition.

European champion Alexandra Recchia of France will bid for a third Karate1 Premier League gold medal of the season in the women’s under 50kg kumite weight class having triumphed in Rotterdam and in the French capital at the start of the year.

World champion Giana Lotfy will also take to the mat in Hamburg, aiming to seal a hat-trick of her own in the under 61kg kumite division.

Before the Hamburg leg of the series got underway, the Tokyo 2020 Planning Commission and the Kumite Rules Commission gathered for meetings to discuss the development of the sport.

The Planning Commission are continuing to work out which categories and events will form part of karate’s Olympic debut after their inclusion at the Games in the Japanese capital was rubber-stamped at the International Olympic Committee Session in Rio de Janeiro in August.

The WKF’s strategic vision to “drive the sport to make an impact in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games” formed a key part of the agenda, according to the governing body.

"The WKF is driven by a strong vision for the future, as karate has seen marked growth in relevance, popularity and revenue in the past years," WKF President Antonio Espinós said.

"It is our aim to continue having a competitive, effective and spectacular sport so karate can further expand its continued success as we start approaching our milestone of the inclusion of Karate for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games."