The imbroglio around amateur karate combats in Quebec has been resolved with the provincial government's approval of a draft decree to exclude karate from the definition of prizefighting under section 83 of the Criminal Code.
This section prevents prizefighting. Boxing was exempt from the constraint before 2013. At that time, the section was revised, providing an exemption for all sports in the Olympic program.
It was the International Olympic Committee’s decision (IOC) to remove karate from the Paris Games program in 2024 that plunged karate into legislative limbo and exposed anyone who engaged in or organized such a fight to the risk of being accused of a punishable offence.
The decree corrects the situation and allows amateur karate competitions to resume.
In a press release, the Minister responsible for Sport, Isabelle Charest, announced that the Education Ministry’s department of safety in sport had worked with Karaté Québec to find a solution as soon as possible.
A management framework for all combat sports in Quebec will be tabled in the winter of 2023 following the work currently in progress.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 28, 2022.
