The event is the third leg of the prestigious international youth competition.
Earlier this week, official preparations for the upcoming Karate One Youth League Manila had officially started with the multi-agency meeting led by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), who sits as as Chair of the National Sports Tourism Inter-Agency Committee (NST-IAC).
The said activity is in partnership with yjr Karate Pilipinas Sports Federation Inc. (KPSFI), led by President Richard Lim, with other agencies present at the meeting being the likes of the Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
Also at the meeting were representatives from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Bureau of Immigration (BI), amd the local government of Pasay.
Discussed at the said meeting were key support roles such as visa assistance and venue security.
Sanctioned by the World Karate Federation, the four-day games will welcome 3,000 athletes aged 17 and under and approximately 500 international and local officials from nearly 100 countries,
The third leg of the Karate One Youth League, which is hailed as the world’s most prestigious international youth karate series, it will happen from May 14 to 17, 2026, at the SM Mall of Asia
In the meeting, PSC Chairman Patrick Gregorio underscored the importance of pushing forward with the event despite global challenges, emphasizing that sports remain one of the few sources of good news that should be shared.
Meanwhile, in a his message at the official launch event last February, Karate Pilipinas President Richard Lim said, “This is the first time that we are hosting this in Manila. We have hosted the Asian Championships and the Asian Cadets before. Now, we have the Youth League. Now, with the tournament, we are able to develop our youth at the grassroots level.”
For his part, Antonio Espinós, President of the World Karate Federation (WKF), conveyed: “The Philippines is a hub of karate in the region, and the excellence of the sport in the country will once again be showcased. This is the first time the nation hosts a Karate One Youth League event after successfully welcoming continental championships, and we are ready to witness an outstanding Karate event in Manila.”
“This tournament will not only reinforce Manila and the Philippines as key centres of karate in Asia but also provide young athletes with world-class competition experience at a first-class international sports event,” furthered Espinós.
Meanwhile, earlier this March, the 7th National Championships were held in Tagaytay City, where over 2,000 karatekas, coaches, and officials took on the challenge of the annual national tournament, vying for the championship title and a spot on the Philippine Youth Karate Team.