TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preparation (Claimed): Preparation of the electrode catalyst comprises: refluxing a mixture including the tungsten carbide, a metal catalyst precursor comprising palladium, and a solvent; and separating the product obtained by the refluxing. Preferred Components: (I) has a specific surface area of 10-30 m2/g. (I) is present at 60-95 wt.% and the metal catalyst is present at 5-40 wt.%. The metal catalyst comprises palladium and at least one other metal comprising nickel, iridium (both preferred), ruthenium, cobalt, manganese, gold, iron and silver. The metal catalyst comprises palladium, a first other metal comprising nickel, cobalt, manganese, iron and silver, and a second other metal comprising iridium, ruthenium and gold. The amorphous carbon is present at outside of the crystal lattice structure of (I). The mixture is refluxed at a pressure of 1-5 bar and at a temperature of 120-180 degrees C. The metal catalyst precursor comprises a palladium precursor and at least one other metal precursor comprising a nickel precursor, iridium precursor, ruthenium precursor, cobalt precursor, manganese precursor, gold precursor, iron precursor and a silver precursor. Preferred Method: (I) is obtained by heat treating a tungsten carbide/carbon composite in the presence of ammonia gas or urea gas so as to remove amorphous carbon that is outside of the crystal lattice of (I) contained in the tungsten carbide/carbon composite. In the method, heat treatment temperature is at 500-1500 degrees C. EXAMPLE - Acetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTABr) (27 ml) 25% aqueous solution was prepared as a surfactant. A mixture of resorcinol (1.2 g) and 30% formaldehyde (1.8 ml) was added to a first dispersion in which ammonium metatungstate (5 g) were dispersed in water (20 ml), and the resultant mixture was stirred to obtain a uniform second dispersion. The CTABr aqueous solution and the second dispersion were put into a reactor and were hydrothermally processed for 2 days at a pressure of 5 bar, at 150 degrees C. After the reaction, a tungsten precursor-polymer composite in a gel phase precipitated at the bottom of the high-pressure reactor. The tungsten precursor-polymer composite was filtered, washed, and then dried for 1 day at 110 degrees C to obtain dried tungsten precursor-polymer composite (11 g). The dried tungsten precursorpolymer composite was calcined for 1 hour at 900 degrees C under an argon gas atmosphere, and then further calcined for 2 hours at 900 degrees C under a hydrogen gas atmosphere to obtain tungsten carbide/carbon composite support (4.5 g). The tungsten carbide (0.6 g), ethylene glycol (101 ml), and distilled water (34 ml) were put into a flask purged with nitrogen gas and were stirred uniformly mixing. Then, a catalyst component precursor aqueous solution obtained by uniformly mixing of distilled water (64 ml), palladium(II) chloride (0.25 g), and nickel(II) chloride 6-hydrate (0.112 g). The resultant was stirred for 30 minutes at 25 degrees C and at a pressure of 1 atmosphere. The temperature of the flask was increased to 140 degrees C, and then refluxed for 2 hours. After the refluxing, the reaction product was filtered, washed, and dried at room temperature and worked upto give an electrode catalyst.