It was one of the strong images of the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics.
Steven Da Costa, Olympic karate champion (kumite -67 kg) marched as the flag bearer of the French delegation.
An honor, and a recognition.
But in three years he will not be in Paris, he will not be able to participate in the 2024 Olympics, because additional karate sport in Tokyo will not be on the program.
The organizing committee preferred surfing, rock climbing, skateboarding and breakdancing.
This decision announced in February 2019 had created controversy and was recently questioned by Steven Da Costa himself, after his fight for the gold medal "I hope that by seeing that, they can try to change the decision.
We have a magnificent sport, we gain a lot of points, and we still bring back gold for France.
"
Absence of karate at the # Paris2024 Olympics: "There are already five combat sports. We had the possibility of adding four sports. By going to look for urban sports such as break dance and skateboarding, we will look for sports that the young people watch ", pleads Tony Estanguet pic.twitter.com/O5EIkJYDJO
- franceinfo (@franceinfo) August 9, 2021
He was obviously not heard by Tony Estanguet, boss of Paris 2024. Asked about France Info this Monday morning he said that the choice fell "on sports that are successful on social networks and that young people watch a lot .
Surfing and climbing bring a very spectacular dimension and different from the sports already on the program.
"
The Olympic canoe-kayak champion at the Sydney, London and Beijing Olympics then recognized that Steven Da Costa is "a great champion, who was very solid", then he added that he "regrets that there is no have no karate in 2024 but the role of the organizing committee is to find this balance, to keep the Games sober, to fight against gigantism by adding sports and athletes.
"
In France, the karate federation has 252,700 licensees in nearly 4,900 clubs across the country.
