Announcers, scorers and timekeepers

1. The scorers and timekeepers as well as other technical assistants must be of a minimum of 21 years age, have a minimum of one year experience as national referees and a good knowledge of the Refereeing Rules.

2. The Organizing Committee must ensure that the announcers, scorers and timekeepers have been thoroughly trained as technical officials.

3. The timekeeper starts the clock on hearing the announcements “HAJIME! ” (“Start! ”) and stops it on hearing the announcements “TOKEI-WO TOMETE KUDASAI! ” (“Please, stop timing! ”).

4. When the time allotted for the contest has expired the timekeeper shall notify the Referee of this fact by a clearly audible signal and by throwing of small bag of red color with beans inside in the direction of Referee’s feet.

5. The scorer must ensure that he is completely informed of the current signs and signals in use to indicate the result of a contest.

ARTICLE 6: DURATION OF BOUT (SHIAI JIKAN)

1. In elimination bouts the base time of the KUMITE bout is 3 (three) minutes. In case of tie the extra time equal to 2 minutes shall be assigned. If tie repeats, the weigh-in shall be announced, and the competitor inferior to the opponent in weight by 3 kg or more (in Weight Category Tournament) / 10kg or more (in Open Weight Tournament) shall be declared the winner. If the winner is not determined by the weigh-in as well, the final extra time equal to 2 minutes shall be assigned.

2. In main rounds, the base time of the Kumite bout is 3 minutes. In case of tie the extra time equal to 2 minutes shall be assigned. In case of repeated tie the second extra time equal to 2 minutes shall be assigned. If tie repeats,

- in competitions in weight categories the competitor inferior to the opponent in weight by 3 kg or more shall be declared the winner;

- in competitions in open category the weigh-in shall be announced, and the competitor inferior to the opponent in weight by 10 kg or more shall be declared the winner. If the winner is not determined by the weigh-in, then the competitor who received more points during TAMESHIWARI test shall be declared the winner.

If the winner is not determined nor by TAMESHIWARI test results, neither by weigh-in, then the final extra time equal to 2 minutes shall be assigned with the obligation of the Referee Panel to determine the winner (no tie possible).

3. The timing of the bout starts when the Referee gives the signal to start with the command “HAJIME! ” (“Start! ”).

4. The end of the time allotted for the contest shall be indicated to the Referee by the ringing of a bell or other similar audible signal and by throwing of small bag of red color with beans inside in the direction of the Referee’s feet.

5. The time signal must be sufficiently audible to be heard over the noise of the spectators.

6. Even if a competitor loses his consciousness during a bout, or the bout stops for any other reason, the timekeeper may not stop timing of bout by his own decision without an appropriate signal from the Referee.

7. As well as the Referee, the timing of bout may be stopped by the Tatami Manager, or Match Supervisor, for reasons listed below:

a) if the official decides that the Referee forgot to give a signal to stop the timing in a situation when the bout is discontinued due to an injury of a competitor, for putting KARATEGI in order, or for any other reason. In this case the official shall announce “JIKAN-WO TOMETE KUDASAI! ” (“Please, stop timing! ”) in order to inform on this decision all competitors and guests;

b) if the Referee Commission representative demands to stop the time. In this case the official shall announce “JIKAN-WO TOMETE KUDASAI! ” (“Please, stop timing! ”).

8. Any competitor is entitled to rest between bouts for a period of 10 minutes at least.

9. All WAZA-ARI points, penalty points (GENTEN), recorded infractions of the Rules (HANSOKU) shall be cancelled upon the expiration of the time of the bout and upon announcement of the decision by the judges (HANTEI), and during the next time of the bout (in the extra time, etc.) they shall not be valid. The only exclusion is for oral warnings (KEIKOKU), which do transfer to the next time of the round.

ARTICLE 7: SCORING

1. Scores are as follows:

a) IPPON (Clear Victory)

b) WAZA-ARI (Half Victory)

2. IPPON is awarded for:

a) an effective strike made by hand or elbow, or a kick delivered to any zone allowed by the rules, which knocked the opponent down for 5 seconds or more;

b) an effective strike made by hand or elbow, or a kick delivered to any zone allowed by the rules, having received which the competitor lost his desire to continue fighting;

c) a conventional karate leg sweeping techniques (ASHI-KAKE), which do not require the opponent to be held, seized, or pushed while executing the sweep, which knocked the opponent down for 5 seconds or more.

3. WAZA-ARI is awarded for:

a) a fist or elbow strike, or a kick delivered to any zone allowed by the rules, which knocked the opponent down for less than 5 seconds (the opponent stood up within 5 seconds);

b) a fist or elbow strike, or a kick delivered to any zone allowed by the rules, after which the opponent kept standing but temporarily lost his desire for fighting or lost balance;

c) timely, clear and technically correct marking (without actual contact) of the final strike by straight downward fist punch (GEDAN-ZUKI) to the opponent knocked to the floor, for example, by leg sweep (ASHI-KAKE).

The final straight downward fist strike (GEDAN-ZUKI) shall be delivered with short fixation of the fist in final position of the punch, so that Judges could make sure, that the strike was accurate. The final fist strike with quick pulling the striking hand back (HIKITE), which does not allow Judges make sure, that the strike was accurate, will not be scored;

4. Should one competitor gain a second WAZA-ARI in one time of the bout, he is to be declared the winner (WAZA-ARI AWASETE IPPON, AWASETE IPPON GACHI).

5. An effective technique delivered at the same time that the end of the bout is signaled, is considered valid. A technique even if effective, delivered after the order of “YAME! ” (“Stop! ”) by the Referee shall not be scored and may result in a penalty being imposed on the offender.

6. No technique, even if technically correct, will be scored if it is delivered when both competitors are outside the contest area. However, if one of the competitors delivers an effective technique while still inside the competition area and before the Referee calls “YAME! ”, the technique will be scored.

ARTICLE 8: PROHIBITED BEHAVIOR (HANSOKU)

a) Hand and elbow strikes to the face. In some cases even finger touches to the face may be considered as the infraction. However the imitation of strikes to the face is allowed;

b) Hand and elbow strikes to the throat, sides or back of the neck;

c) Strikes to the groin;

d) Head strikes (zutsuki);

e) Attacking fallen opponent;

f) Strikes to the spine;

g) Attacks from the position with head set to opponent’s head;

h) Hooking opponent’s neck, head and shoulder. In case of knee strikes (HIZA-GERI) all the arm above elbow is considered to be the shoulder;

i) Grasping opponent’s KARATEGI, hands or legs;

j) Pushes (OSHI) to the body and shoulders with palms, forearms, fists, shoulders. Points shall not be given for attacks which follow after pushes. The throwing techniques, which require the opponent to be held, seized, or pushed, are prohibited.

Moving toward the opponent with the aim to bring hands or body in touch with the hands or body of the opponent in order to trap his hands and prevent him striking, or unbalance him is prohibited and shall be warned and penalized;

k) Attacks to the knee joint with rectilinear kicks: MAE-GERI, SOKUTO-GERI, USHIRO-GERI;

l) Feigning, or exaggerating injury received due to prohibited techniques;

m) Exit from the competition area (JOGAI) not caused by the opponent.

JOGAI relates to a situation where a competitor's foot or feet are outside of the contest area. An exception is when the competitor is physically pushed or thrown from the area by the opponent. Also if a competitor’s both feet get outside of the contest area during a quick maneuver, after which he immediately returns or assume to return immediately to the contest area, the maneuver shall not be estimated as JOGAI. Warning must be extended for the third instance of JOGAI.

n) Avoiding combat as a means of preventing the opponent having the opportunity to score. “Avoiding Combat” refers to a situation where a competitor attempts to prevent the opponent having the opportunity to score by using time-wasting behavior. This often occurs during the closing seconds of a bout, when a competitor, who earlier received the winning score, is trying to maintain the advantage. The competitor who constantly retreats without effective counter, make multiple attempts to deliver kick with deliberate fall (SUTEMI-WAZA), that yield no result, stops for putting clothes in order, or exits the area rather than allow the opponent an opportunity to score must be warned or penalized. However, stepping back and maneuvering combined with counterattacks shall not be estimated as avoiding combat and shall not be warned or penalized.

o) Passivity – not attempting to engage in combat. Passivity refers to situations where one or both of the competitors do not attempt to exchange techniques over an extended period of time.

If the competitors, who won preceding bouts, demonstrate sluggish, passive combat during the bout, which contrasts sharply with the active combat they showed in previous bouts, the Referee can give oral warning (KEIKOKU) to both of them with or has the right to penalize both of them with CHUI. If this does not help to change the character of combat, the referee has the right to stop the bout and, upon the consultation with the Referee Commission, to disqualify both competitors (SHIKKAKU).

When disqualification (SHIKKAKU) happens in the bout for the 1^st place, then the 1^st and 2^nd places remain vacant. When disqualification (SHIKKAKU) happens in the fight for the 3^rd place, then the 3^rd and 4^th places remain vacant.

When disqualification (SHIKKAKU) happens during the bouts other than the ones mentioned above, then those competitors who lost bouts to the disqualified competitors continue competing in the next bout of the competitions.

p) Talking to, or goading the opponent, failing to obey the orders of the Referee, discourteous behavior towards the refereeing officials, or other breaches of etiquette (REISETSU KETSUJO).

r) Any discourteous behavior from a member of an official delegation can earn the disqualification of a competitor, the entire team, or delegation from the tournament.

ARTICLE 9: WARNINGS & PENALTIES

1. Referees and Judges are authorized to award penalties according to the “intent” or situation and in the best interest of the sport.

2. Should the Referee decide to penalize a competitor(s), he shall halt the bout, return the competitors to their starting positions and announce the penalty while pointing to the competitor(s) who committed the prohibited act.

3. Where both competitors infringe the rules at the same time, each should be awarded a penalty according to the degree of the infringement.

4. Prohibited acts shall be punished with oral warnings (KEIKOKU), which are unofficial penalties in the meaning that they do not influence the decision of judges, and with official penalties, that is with official warning (CHUI) and the penalty points (GENTEN ICHI, GENTEN NI, GENTEN SAN) in following order:

- the first minor infraction shall be punished with the oral warning (KEIKOKU),

- the first serious infraction shall be punished with the official warning (CHUI),

- the second infraction shall be punished with the first penalty point (GENTEN ICHI),

- the third infraction shall be punished with the second penalty point (GENTEN NI),

- the forth infraction shall be punished with the third penalty point (GENTEN SAN), and with the disqualification of the competitor (SHIKKAKU).

Especially dangerous and malicious infractions (AKUSHITSU KOGEKI) can be punished with the first penalty point (GENTEN ICHI) straight away, without giving first KEIKOKU or CHUI.

5. Penalties are not cumulative. Each penalty must be awarded at its own value. The awarding of any second or subsequent penalty automatically cancels an earlier penalty. Whenever a competitor has already been penalized, any succeeding penalties for that competitor must always be awarded at least in the next higher value than his existing penalty.

6. Whenever a referee awards a penalty, he should demonstrate with a simple action the reason for the penalty.

7. A penalty can be awarded after the announcement of “YAME! ” for any prohibited act committed during the time allotted for the contest or, in some exceptional situations, for serious acts committed after the signal to end the contest, as long as the decision has not been given.