JEDDAH: Dr. Ibrahim Al-Gannas has been the head of the Saudi Karate Federation since March 2018. 

Prior to his appointment, Al-Gannas was the first vice president of the Arab Karate Federation between 2017 and 2018. 

He has also served as the president of the West Asian Karate Federation, president of the Gulf Karate Organizational Committee and chairman of the referees committee at the Saudi Arabian Karate Federation.

Al-Gannas received his Ph.D. in security management from Neelain University in Khartoum, Sudan, and his master’s degree from Naif Arab University for security sciences in security management at the department of crime prevention. 

Al-Gannas is a member of the World Karate Federation (WKF) executive committee, a board member of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee and a former member of the Arab referees committee and Gulf referees committee.

He was a member of the Al-Hilal Saudi Sports Club and former supervisor of different sports at the Al-Hilal sports club, and a member of the Saudi Arabian Olympic committee preparing for qualification for the London Olympic Games in 2012.

Al-Gannas is a black belt in the 7th dan, and was a Saudi champion for many years in kata and kumite. 

He won the gold medal in kumite in the Arab Championship 1979, and bronze medal on the kata team at the Asian Championship 1981. 

He was an international referee and participated in international and local championships, and headed many Saudi missions for international and continental championships.

Al-Gannas also won the Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Creative Sports Award at its ninth edition in November 2017 for best Arab administrator.

Al-Gannas met Jordan’s Olympic Committee Secretary-General Nasser Al-Majali in Amman on Tuesday and they discussed ways of enhancing karate in both countries.