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The PUKO was founded on October 1, 1975. The foundation took
place in the "Mayfair" room of the Queen Hotel Mary in Long Beach,
California during the 3rd World championships. The founding
countries were Argentina, Bermuda, Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago,
the USA and Venezuela.
The first Directing Committee was formed as follows:
President: Caylor Adkins (USA)
Vice-president by North America: Jesús García
Ávila (México)
Vice-president by America Center: José Luis González
(Guatemala)
Vice-president by the Caribbean: Aldwyn Parris ( Trinidad)
Vice-president by the South America: Carlos Antonio Valiente
(Paraguay)
Secretary General: Jim Stevens (USA)
Delegate: Ross V. Rumbell (Canadá)
Delegate: Augusto Delfos Gonzalez (Argentina)
The second congress of the PUKO was held in Tokyo in November 1977
during the 4th world championship. During the Congress the
President informed that soon the PUKO would be organizing its first
Pan-American Championship. They promised to send information on
this to all the countries as soon as possible.
The third PUKO congress PUKO was held in Madrid in November 1980
during the 5th world championship. During the Congress a new
Directing Committee for the PUKO was elected.
The new Directing Committee then formed was as follows:
President: John Evans (USA)
Vice-president by North America: the delegate of the USA
Vice-president by America Center: Arturo Armas (Guatemala)
Vice-president by the Caribbean: Aldwyn Parris ( Trinidad)
Vice-president by the South America: Augusto Delfos Gonzalez
(Argentina)
Secretary General: George Anderson (USA)
The present members again were informed that soon the first
Pan-American Karate Championship would be organizae. During this
Congress the delegate of Curacao, William Millerson, requested to
speak and exposed that it is so sad to notice that the Directing
Committee of the PUKO promise so much and is doing so little. At
the same time he requested the authorization of the PUKO DC to
organize the first Pan-American Championship in Curacao in
1981.
The Congress approved the organization of the first Pan-American
Championship in Curacao.
This first Championship of the PUKO was organized in Curacao
starting on May 3, 1981, with the participation of 10 countries. It
was then remarkable that William Millerson was the organizer of the
championship, was trainer and coach of his equipment, as well as a
competitor. He won the gold medal against Billy Blanks.
The following championships were organized in 1983 in Guatemala,
and 1984 in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
In 1985 a championship was organized in San José, Costa
Rica. Due to problems between PUKO and the National Federation of
Costa Rica, PUKO never recognized this championship as a
Panamerican championship but an Invitational PUKO tournament. Just
before this event John Evans communicated in writing
informing the members that he is resigning as PUKo President
because of health reasons. An an Extraordinary Congress in
was then organized in to elect a new PUKO Directing Committee. The
Congress was organized on January 19, 1986 with the participation
of delegates from Barbados, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Guadeloupe,
Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Surinam, Trinidad
and Tobago, the USA and Venezuela. Also some one from Peru attended
the extra-ordinary congress as an observer.
The Directive Committee was:
President: George Anderson (USA)
Vice-president by North America: Luciano Valero
(México)
Vice-president by America Center: Raúl López
(Panamá)
Vice-president by the Caribbean: José Méndez Rivera (
Puerto Rico)
Vice-president by the South America: Gustavo Keusch
(Venezuela)
Secretary General: William Millerson (Curacao)
Treasurer: Mario Herrera Baltodano (Costa Rica)
Since then William Millerson always insisted that the Pan-American
Championship must be organized annually, same like in Europe where
the European championships is organized annually for this is the
only way to guarantee a good development of karate at Pan-American
level. This was then also approved during this extra-ordinary
congress. It was approved that the Pan-American championships in
principle would be organized annually in the middle of May. Also
the venues of the next Panamerican championships were approved
during this congress. They were 1987 in Argentina, 1988 in the USA
and 1989 in Venezuela. Due to unknown reasons the Pan-American
championship of 1987 could not be organized in Argentina and was
moved to Curacao, whereas the championships of 1988 and 1989 were
organized as was programmed. These championships were organized
respectively in New Orleans and Maracaibo.
It was during the Pan-American championship of 1990 in Niteroi,
Brazil that several other countries of South America joint PUKO.
These were Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay which all began
to participate very actively in the PUKO championships. In 1991 a
record of 26 countries participated in the Panamerican
championships organized in Curacao.
The Karate participates for the first time in the Central American
and Caribbean Games in 1993 in Ponce, Puerto Rico and for the first
time in the Pan-American Games in 1995 in Mar del Plata, Argentina.
It was during the Pan-American Championship of 1995 in
Medellín that the new Statutes of the PUKO were approved and
at the same time change the name of the organization was changed to
Panamerican Karate Federation (P.K.F.).
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