In a vote during the recent World Karate Championships in Bremen, the Venezuelan and Brazilian double world champions were voted to the positions by their fellow athletes in a race that saw six candidates looking to become members of the Commission.

Diaz won gold at the 2010 and 2012 World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia and Paris, France respectively, while also taking silver in Tokyo, Japan in 2008, and bronze 2002, 2004 and 2006.

He is also a 12-time Pan American champion.

The Venezuelan was voted onto the Commission after receiving 418 of the 107 athlete votes.

The full WKF Athletes' Commission following the election of Antonio Diaz and Douglas Brose ©WKF



Brose, on the other hand, is widely regarded as Brazil's best ever karate athlete and was branded "the greatest medallist and best Brazilian karate athlete of all time" by former President of the Brazilian Confederation of Karate, Edgar Ferraz.

Brose secured his second kumite under 60 kilogram world title in Bremen earlier this month, adding it to the gold won in Belgrade in 2010.

He also won world silver in Paris in 2012 and bronze in Tokyo in 2008, and Pan-American gold in 2012 and 2014.

His admission to the Commission was decided with 347 votes.

The pair were called to the first meeting of the Commission with all its members, where Italian world and European champion Davide Benetello was appointed as the first chairman of the group.

Benetello, consequently, becomes a full member of the WKF Executive Committee.

Also on the Commission are Luxembourg's Tessy Scholtes, Vietnam's Ngan Hoang Nguyen and Austria's Simon Klausberger.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
November 2014: France and Egypt lead medals table at Karate World Championships
November 2014: Finals of World Senior Karate Championships to be broadcast live around the world