Fariba Madani was born and raised in northern Iran. After graduating from high school, she left Iran to continue her education in architecture in Paris, France where she completed her master’s degree.

After moving to America, Ms. Madani achieved her first degree black belt in 1998 and has accomplished many of her ambitious goals. She was the first national referee from Colorado, and then the first U.S. female referee at the Pan American level, for both kata and kumite. She decided then to be the first female referee from the United States at the World level, and achieved this distinction in November 2004 at the world championships in Mexico. In July 2005, during the USA-National Karate-Do Federation meeting, she was nominated to be a member of the referee council, the first woman ever to be named to the council. Just a few years later and after achieving the highest Kata and Kumite A world license, Ms. Madani was selected as a member of World Karate Federation (WKF) referee commission on September 2010.
Due to her continuous hard work and dedication to the sport, she was selected to be the only female from Pan American continent to officiate at Tokyo 2020 Olympic. An honor that was only a reflection of her talent and fairness of her judgment call!
Last but not least she was appointed as the secretary of World Karate Federation referee commission during the last world championship in Dubai on November 2021.

As a U.S. representative and the chair of USA Karate referee committee, Ms. Madani needs to be present at all national championships, as well as premier leagues, world championships and many international events which entails a great deal of travel and patience. Currently a sixth degree black belt, Ms. Madani practices every day and sometimes twice a day, on her way to excellence. She feels a great deal of pride in the accomplishments of her students and the joy of their parents.

Ms. Madani lives in Louisville, Colorado with her husband and kids.