World Karate Championships brought £9.5 million to Dundee economy

The 11th annual WUKF World Karate Championships were held at the Dundee Ice Arena between July 13 and 16.

By Laura Devlin

December 28 2023, 6:00am

Medal winners on the podium at the competition earlier this year. Image: Kenny Smith/DC Thomson.

The World Karate Championships held in Dundee this summer brought more than £9 million to the local economy.

More than 4,000 athletes, coaches, officials and spectators from over 30 different countries arrived in Dundee for the four-day event in July.

It was the second time the WUKF World Karate Championships had been held in the city – meaning Dundee is the only place in the world to have hosted the competition twice.

And figures from the Dundee City Convention Bureau have revealed the 2023 event brought a direct economic benefit of £9,594,630 to the local economy.

Images from the final day of action from the World Karate Championships at Dundee Ice Arena. Image: Kenny Smith/DC Thomson.

In total, around £19.2 million has been contributed to the Dundee economy through hosting the World Karate Championships in both 2018 and 2023.

The figures have been calculated using direct expenditure benefit rates, recognised by the Scottish Government, and used by all the cities, destinations, and industries across Scotland.

The 2023 world championships were held at the Dundee Ice Arena between July 13 and 16.

It was hosted by Dundee charity Kanzen Karate, working alongside Dundee City Council, Leisure and Culture Dundee and Dundee City Convention Bureau.

The World Karate Championships kicked off with an Olympic style opening ceremony. Image: Kenny Smith/DC Thomson.

Kanzen Karate Chief Officer, Roy O’Kane said: “The event was a phenomenal success and regarded as one of the best WUKF competitions.

“Hosting an event of this size and scale was only possible due to the support of civic partners, businesses, and the hard work of our team here at Kanzen.

“It shows once again that Dundee can do big things are we are proud Kanzen has played a part in welcoming so many visitors to our fantastic city for the second time.

“It was tremendous to see the city so busy with tracksuits from across the world; hotels, restaurants and bars were packed for the week.”

More than 4,000 athletes, coaches, officials and spectators attended the event. Image: Kenny Smith/DC Thomson.

Dundee City Council leader John Alexander added: “Not only did the event bring together people from all over the world in elite sporting competition, but as this report shows it also generated millions of pounds for the local economy.

“The council was proud to support the championships, which demonstrated just what we can achieve when we work in partnership as a city.”