Antonio Espinós was re-elected President of the World Karate Federation (WKF) for a six-year term today ©WKF

Antonio Espinós was re-elected President of the World Karate Federation (WKF) for a six-year term today before vowing to continue taking the sport to "historic and memorable times".

The Spaniard, who was first elected in 1998, stood unopposed after receiving unanimous support for his candidacy from all segments of the sport.

Seventy-nine out of a total of 82 delegates with voting rights approved the re-election of Espinós at the Congress held ahead of the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Karate World Championships here this evening.

Under his leadership, karate has accomplished the historic milestone of being included on the programme of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The new era of karate as an Olympic sport and the landscape ahead were highlighted by Espinós as his main commitments for the forthcoming term, while he also pledged to increase the universal appeal of the discipline as well as to further extend karate’s values.

"It is an honour for me to have received such a full support to keep on contributing to take karate to even greater heights," said the 69-year-old.

"Our ancient discipline is undoubtedly experiencing unforgettable moments; we are ready to see our life-long dream of karate into the Olympics coming true, and our core values of tradition, universality and progress are stronger than ever.

"We will work together so karate can continue inspiring millions all around the world.

"We are living historic moments in karate.

"This is the first Congress after our inclusion in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and I would like to thank all of you who worked hard and contributed to this success."

Antonio Espinós, who was first elected in 1998, stood unopposed ©WKF/Twitter
Antonio Espinós, who was first elected in 1998, stood unopposed ©WKF/Twitter

Espinós expressed his gratitude to the members of the Executive Committee for their support.  

"This success is your success," he added.

"As long as you continue working hard and being loyal to the values that the WKF represents, we can continue this wonderful journey." 

Following a proposal by the Executive Committee, the WKF Congress also approved by acclamation the appointment of Japan Karate Federation President Takashi Sasagawa as WKF Honorary President.

Among the issues discussed at the Congress was the inclusion of karate as an Olympic sport at Tokyo 2020.

Karate was added alongside baseball and softball, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing, predominantly due to its popularity in Japan.

All five sports were proposed by organisers in the Japanese capital with the International Olympic Committee then rubber-stamping the decision at their Session in Rio de Janeiro in August.