Angelo Crescenzo (left) won gold at the World Karate Championships in 2018

A training camp is underway in Italy to prepare its national karate team for next year’s postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The athletes gathered at the Olympic Center in Roma today and will train until Tuesday (September 1).

The aim of the camp is to monitor the athletes as they work towards Tokyo next year.

Angelo Crescenzo, Luigi Busà, Mattia Busato, Luca Maresca, Simone Marino and Michele Martina - who all claimed a medal at the 2018 Karate World Championships in Madrid - are among the participants.

Lorena Busà, Sara Cardin, Clio Ferracuti, Laura Pasqua and Silvia Semeraro have also been called up along with two kata teams.

Silvia Semeraro in action during the Karate 1 Premier League at Nippon Budokan in 2019 ©Getty Images
Silvia Semeraro in action during the Karate 1 Premier League at Nippon Budokan in 2019 ©Getty Images

They are comprised of Carola Casale, Terryana D'onofrio and Michela Pezzetti for the women and Gianluca Gallo, Alessandro Iodice and Giuseppe Panagia for the men.

Leading the Italian team will be the federal coaches Guazzaroni, Verrecchia, Loria, Figuccio and Sodero, the athletic trainer Massimo Montecchiani and the technical director, Professor Pierluigi Aschieri.

On Saturday (August 29), Giulia Angelucci, Viola Lallo, Alessandra Mangiacapra, Michele Ciani, Gianluca De Vivo and Lorenzo Pietromarchi will also arrive at the Olympic Center.