Reforms to USA Karate's governance will see an additional athlete representative join the Board ©Getty Images

The interim chair of the Board of the USA National Karate-do Federation (USA Karate) Rahul Bawa says he is "honoured" to have taken on the position, after John DiPasquale stepped down following sweeping reforms to the organisation’s governance.

After a review held in conjunction with the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), the chair of the Board must now be elected from among its independent members.

DiPasquale remains on the Board, but has stepped down from his role as chair as he is a non-independent director, with Bawa taking over until an election process is completed, which will be by no later than the end of October this year.

Bawa is the founder and chief executive officer of Cincinnati-based company PowerIT Solutions, and chair of the non-profit organisation WaterStep which aims to provide safe access to water around the world.

The official, who previously chaired and co-founded Pipeline H2O and chaired The Hamilton Mill, brings more than 30 years of executive-management experience to the position.

Bawa joined USA Karate’s Board in 2019, and in a letter to its members said he was "honoured" after becoming interim chair.

Ariel Torres won a karate bronze medal for the United States at Tokyo 2020 in the men's kata event ©Getty Images
Ariel Torres won a karate bronze medal for the United States at Tokyo 2020 in the men's kata event ©Getty Images

DiPasquale also said it had been "an honour" to have held the post, and added: "I’m grateful to Rahul for being willing to step into this volunteer role on an interim basis and look forward to supporting him as we put the resources in place to support our incredible athletes and members."

Bawa claimed in the letter that he is aiming to ensure that "USA Karate communicates effectively, often and with transparency to all our members," and will host two sessions at the USA National Karate Championships and US Team Trials in Chicago, which are running from September 1 to 5.

These will be held at the Karate General Assembly on September 1 and the Athlete Town Hall on September 3.

Elections for the Board will be among the items on the agenda.

Following the review, USA Karate’s Board will increase its number of athlete representatives from two to three, while remaining at an overall size of nine members.

Five positions on the Board are up for election this year, including one independent member, one athlete representative and one USOPC Athlete Advisory Council representative.

Karate debuted at the Olympic Games at Tokyo 2020, with the United States’ Ariel Torres winning a bronze in the men’s kata.