Overview
- AFP documented a regional women’s karate event in Tehran with rare on-site access, where 230 participants competed before an all-female audience, including five-year-olds.
- Kyokushin-Ryu chief Afshin Torkpour cites about 150,000 karate practitioners nationwide across genders, with unofficial estimates possibly reaching two million.
- Recent results underscore momentum as Atousa Golshadnezhad won gold at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Saudi Arabia and the under-21 women’s team earned 11 medals, including six golds, at the Asian Championships.
- The sport’s growth follows decades of restrictions, with martial arts once banned for women after 1979 and later permitted under mandatory dress regulations.
- Participants and coaches describe karate as a conduit for discipline, resilience and confidence, with parents and athletes highlighting emotional balance and assertiveness gained through training.