Paris to Host the 33rd ITKF Global Traditional Karate Master Course This Week

An event conceived by Hidetaka Nishiyama nearly four decades ago will bring together major international references of Traditional Karate in the City of Light, reinforcing ITKF Global’s commitment to the technical, philosophical, and educational development of the discipline.

Paulo Pinto / Global Sports
Curitiba / Brazil, May 12, 2026

The city of Paris will once again become one of the world’s leading centers of Traditional Karate between May 13 and 18, 2026, during the 33rd Traditional Karate Master Course, promoted by ITKF Global in partnership with the French Traditional Budô Karate Federation — FKT Budo France.

Internationally recognized as one of the most traditional and important technical gatherings in the world, the French Master Course carries a unique historical significance within the trajectory of Traditional Karate. The event was conceived by senseis Hidetaka Nishiyama and Ibrahim El Marhomy and has consolidated itself over more than three decades as a space dedicated to preserving the original foundations of the discipline, annually bringing together practitioners, instructors, referees, and leaders from several countries.

“More than a technical gathering, the Paris 2026 Master Course represents an environment of cultural exchange, methodological reflection, and institutionalstrengthening of Traditional Karate on a global scale.”

The 2026 edition will feature four major international references of Traditional Karate as its central axis: Sandrine El Marhomy, from France; Justo Gomes, from Argentina; Gilberto Gaertner, from Brazil; and Cornel Musat, from Romania. The four professors will conduct technical and philosophical activities focused on deepening the principles of Budô, pedagogical improvement, and international qualification within the ITKF Global structure.

More than a technical gathering, the Paris 2026 Master Course represents an environment of cultural exchange, methodological reflection, and institutional strengthening of Traditional Karate on a global scale.

Historically, the event has become one of ITKF’s main technical updating platforms, contributing directly to the development of referees, coaches, examiners, and leaders committed to maintaining the highest technical and ethical standards of the discipline.

Symbol of Continuity 

The program in Paris is expected to bring together participants from different continents in an intensive immersion grounded in the classical principles of Traditional Karate-Do, keeping alive the philosophy developed by Nishiyama and perpetuated by the current international structure of ITKF Global.

Throughout its history, the French Master Course has consolidated itself as a symbol of historical continuity, technical preservation, and international integration, reaffirming ITKF Global’s commitment to a Traditional Karate grounded not only in competitive performance, but also in the human, educational, and philosophical development of its practitioners.