Karate

Hoàng Thị Mỹ Tâm (left) will be one of Việt Nam's key fighters at the regional karate championships, Asian Games and 2026 Karate World Cup. Photo thethao247.vn

NINH BÌNH — Việt Nam are ready to both host the tournament and defend their top spot at the 2026 Southeast Asian Karate Championships, which will be held from July 9 to 12 in Ninh Bình Province.

Southeast Asian Karate Federation President Vũ Sơn Hà said that preparations for the tournament are underway and that the host nation will ensure the competition is conducted in accordance with regulations and professional standards.

This will be the third time that Việt Nam hosts the regional competition, after editions in 2014 and 2018.

According to the organisers, the international sporting event will gather around 400 athletes and coaches from 11 Southeast Asian nations to compete at the Ninh Bình Provincial Sports Centre.

There will be 17 events for both kata (performance) and kumite (combat) in the senior divisions, while children, teenagers and U21s will also enjoy multiple competitions.

Last year, Vietnamese competitors collected 28 gold medals at senior, junior and cadet tournaments, comfortably topping the medal table at the championships in Brunei.

The host side just returned home from the Asian championships in Indonesia, where they secured one gold and five bronze medals.

Champion Nguyễn Thị Diệu Ly and her teammates Phạm Minh Đức, Hoàng Thị Mỹ Tâm, Đinh Thị Hương and Nguyễn Ngọc Trâm will be core members of Việt Nam's side at the Southeast Asian event.

In other news, Việt Nam have received two official slots at the 2026 Karate World Cup, which will be held in Hangzhou, China, from November 20 to 22.

The men's kata team will take part in the 2026 World Cup. Photo courtesy of AKF

Their slots were earned thanks to their performance in the Indonesian Asian championship in June.

Vietnamese athletes will take part in the men's kata and women's kumite events.

Prior to the World Cup, they will have the opportunity to test their skills at the 20th Asian Games (ASIAD) in September in Japan.

At this year's ASIAD, there will be men's and women's individual and team events in kata and 11 weight classes in kumite, in which male fighters will vie for titles in six different weight classes and female karatekas will take part in five.

In the 19th ASIAD, Kazakhstan placed first with three golds, followed by Japan and China. Việt Nam ranked fifth, with one gold from the women's kata team, one silver and two bronzes. — VNS