ARTICLE 1: KUMITE COMPETITION AREA
1. The competition area must be flat and devoid of hazard.
2. The competition area will be a matted square, of a WKF approved type, with sides of eight metres (measured from the outside) with an additional one metre on all sides as a safety area. There will be a clear safety area of one metre on each side.
3. Two mats are inverted with the red side turned up in a one meter distance from the mat centre to form a boundary between the contestants.
4. The Referee will be standing centered between the two mats facing the Competitors at a distance of one meter form the safety area.
5. Each judge will be seated at the corners on the mat in the safety area. The referee may move around the entire tatami, including the safety area where the judges are seated. Each judge will be equipped with a red and a blue flag.
6. The Match Supervisor will be seated just outside the safety area, behind, and to the left or right of the Referee. He will be equipped with a red flag or sign, and a whistle.
7. The score-supervisor will be seated at the official score table, between the scorekeeper and the timekeeper.
8. Coaches will be seated outside the safety area, on their respective sides at the side of the tatami towards the official table. Where the tatami area is elevated, the coaches will be placed outside the elevated area.
9. The one metre border should be in a different colour from the rest of the matted area.
EXPLANATION:
I. There must be no advertisement hoardings, walls, pillars etc. within one metre of the safety area's outer perimeter.
II. The mats used should be non-slip where they contact the floor proper but have a low co-efficient of friction on the upper surface. They should not be as thick as Judo mats, since these impede Karate movement. The Referee must ensure that mat modules do not move apart during the competition, since gaps cause injuries and constitute a hazard. They must be of approved WKF design.