🇨🇦 Event Preview: Team Canada Set for Paris Qualification Tournament
Team Canada heads to Paris for the WKF World Championships Qualification Phase
The countdown is on! From October 17–19, 2025, the world’s top karate athletes will gather in Paris, France for the WKF Senior World Championships – Qualification Phase.
Representing Canada with pride, eight elite athletes will take to the tatami in Paris — each aiming to earn their place in the Final Phase of the World Championships.
🇨🇦 Meet Team Canada
| Athlete | Event | Category |
| Fernando Aguilera | Male Kumite | +84 kg |
| Omar Almishri | Male Kumite | –84 kg |
| Kathryn Campbell | Female Kumite | –61 kg |
| Kiandokht Ghodsi | Female Kumite | +68 kg |
| Matthew Gruitia | Male Kata | Kata |
| Yamina Lahyanssa | Female Kumite | –50 kg |
| Hilary Pond | Female Kumite | –68 kg |
| Nicholas Patrick Rivest | Male Kumite | –75 kg |
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Coaches:
- Rodney Hobson
- Pam Ross
- Yevhen Motovylin
Support Staff:
- Kyra Lyndsay-Ng (therapist)
- Craig Vokey (president)
This talented roster reflects a balance of experience and new energy, with athletes from across the country coming together to represent Canada at the highest level of international karate.
About the Paris Qualification Tournament
Hosted by the World Karate Federation (WKF), this year’s Qualification Phase in Paris introduces a new structure for the World Championships pathway. Athletes must qualify through this event to earn their position in the Final Phase in Cairo.
The tournament will bring together top karatekas from all five continents, competing in both kata and kumite events. According to the WKF, this new system aims to “enhance fairness, competitiveness, and representation” across global karate.
For more details, visit the official WKF event page.
