Greetings from Denmark
I am so excited about the latest news from the International Olympic Committee; karate has once again been selected for the short list of sports that the IOC will examine at their Congress in Copenhagen in October 2009. Coincidentally, the Danish Karate Federation will be hosting their first international karate tournament (Copenhagen Open Karate Championship) at that same time.

It has been the vision of the Danish Karate Federation to hold an annual international karate tournament in the beautiful city of Copenhagen. Copenhagen is a very unique multicultural city that contains a combination of old and new architecture, and a rich culture that attracts tourism from all over the world. The first Copenhagen Open Karate Championship will be held on the 3rd and 4th of October 2009. This gives us the opportunity to present high quality international karate at the same time the IOC Congress is being held there. The right marketing and presentation of this tournament will bring positive attention to our sport. The IOC Congress attracts media attention worldwide and it is our desire to do whatever possible to turn their attention to our sport as well. To that end, the Danish Karate Federation will be petitioning to hold an exhibition match during the IOC opening ceremony which will be held October 1st at Tivoli. Tivoli is one of the oldest amusement parks in the world; it is in downtown Copenhagen, and one of the main tourist attractions in Denmark.

Her Majesty, The Royal Queen of Denmark will be one of the honored guests at the opening ceremony. This is a golden opportunity for karate to make an impact that will affect our sport in the Olympic Games.

The Danish Karate Federation is aware of the importance of this event for our organization as well as the sport of karate in general. It is our desire to promote a spirit excellence for this event as a representation of the level of excellence that we aspire to as karate-ka. We are pleased to announce that Alex Miladi will be the chief referee and work with the Danish Federation to make the 2009 Copenhagen Open Karate Championship an event to remember for years to come.

Sincerely,

Kim Boemart
President, Danish Karate Federation