(Quebec) The imbroglio surrounding amateur karate fights in Quebec has been settled with the approval, by the provincial government, of the draft decree to exclude karate from the definition of concerted combat under section 83 of the Criminal Code .
Posted at 11:51 a.m.
This article prevents concerted combat from taking place. Until 2013, boxing had an exemption. By that date, the article had been revised, offering an exemption to all sports on the Olympic programme.
It was the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to withdraw karate from the program of the Paris Games in 2024, which plunged karate into this legislative limbo and exposed anyone who engaged in or organized such a fight at the risk of Accused.
The decree thus regularizes the situation and allows the resumption of amateur karate competitions.
In a press release, the Minister responsible for Sports, Recreation and the Outdoors, Isabelle Charest, announced that the Recreation and Sports Safety Branch of the Ministry of Education has worked with Karate Quebec to find a solution as soon as possible.
“The IOC’s decision to remove karate from the Olympic program of the 2024 Games has created a series of administrative and legal entanglements that amateur athletes and their federation did not deserve,” said Minister Charest. This file was a priority for me as soon as I returned to my post. I am happy that we were able to act quickly by working together with the Ministry and the people from Karate Quebec. We can now look at the management framework for combat sports in Quebec to a greater extent. »
A management framework for all combat sports in Quebec will also be tabled in the winter of 2023 following the work in progress.