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Karate Is Now an Olympic Sport. It’s Not What You Think.

It’s time to familiarize yourself with kata—and with a group of Olympians who put the art into martial arts

By Rodger Sherman
Lima 2019 Pan Am Games - Day 14 Photo by Jaime Lopez/Jam Media/Getty Images


There will be 60 gold medals awarded in fighting events in Tokyo. But only one of these events features competitors who fight against nobody. It’s time to familiarize yourself with kata—and with a group of Olympians who put the art into martial arts.

Host: Rodger Sherman
Guest: Ariel Torres
Associate Producers: Erika Cervantes, Lani Renaldo
Additional Production Supervision: Ben Glicksman, Noah Malale, Arjuna Ramgopal, Megan Schuster
Fact Checker: Mike Itchue
Talent Booker: Allyson Turner

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