The appointment followed a meeting of the international body on Friday, October 16, in Bielsko-Biała, southern Poland, after elections held on Tuesday during the federation’s congress, alongside the World Karate Championships for cadets, juniors and under-21 athletes.
According to a statement from the World Karate Federation, Moktabil is one of three additional members appointed by consensus, alongside Makareta Lenoa of Fiji and Sara Winnerström of Sweden. The federation’s statutes allow members to be appointed by consensus without going through an election at the congress.
The executive committee also approved the appointment of four representatives from continental federations, bringing the number of members appointed by consensus during the meeting to seven.
The new committee includes three African representatives elected during the congress: Béchir Chérif of Tunisia, Mohamed El-Dahrawy of Egypt and Souleymane Gaye of Senegal.
The meeting also saw a reshuffle of key positions within the World Karate Federation. Italy’s Davide Benetello was appointed first vice-president, Croatia’s Davor Cipek secretary-general, and Elisa Au of the United States deputy secretary-general. These appointments will take effect on January 1, 2027.
Britain’s Michael Dinsdale will remain treasurer-general.
World Karate Federation President Antonio Espinós said the new structure combines experienced officials with new members to support and strengthen the federation’s activities. He also praised the work of Japan’s Toshihisa Nagura, who served as secretary-general for 12 years. Nagura will remain on the executive committee until 2030.
