Indian karate master jets in

the inaugural Bino-ryu National Invitational Championships to be held in Harare at the weekend.
The event is set for Saturday and Sunday at Belvedere Teachers’ Technical College.
Srinivasan first visited the country last year in April and this time he is accompanied by his wife Geeta.
He will be in the country for 10 days.
Speaking soon after his arrival at Harare International Airport, Srinivasan said his purpose is to grace the national invitational championships and identify talented karatekas in the country.
“I am here mainly for the national championships. We will be scouting for talent during the competition and it is exciting to see a lot of interest from Zimbabwean karatekas.
“The standard of karate is good in Zimbabwe and I will be happy to identify talent unless the people don’t come,” said Srinivasan.
The Indian instructor was met at the Harare International Airport by the president of the Zimbabwe Karate Union, Simba Chikutu, and patron of the Zimbabwe Bino-ryu Karate Association, Rose Peters, and the style’s Branch Chief in Zimbabwe, Shihan Jairos Manjoro.
Peters also met Srinivasan in her capacity as the head of the organisation committee of the national invitational championships.
A number of local bino-ryu officials, including Banny Manokore, and karatekas who practice the style were also at the airport to welcome their Grandmaster.
During his stay in Harare, Srinivasan is also expected to conduct a three-day referees’ course, catering for all styles.
“I will conduct a referees’ course for three days from the March 18 to 20. The course will involve referees from other styles because in karate we are one family and it is about exchanging techniques and ideas,” said Srinivasan.
The Indian karate guru said they would assess the success of the national invitational championships to map a way forward for the competition to develop into an international event in the future.
“The national event is the base to start from and after this, we will give it two or three years and then stage an international event.
“We can have an All-African countries event and that can work if we accomplish this.
“We will definitely make it in a couple of years,” said Srinivasan.
Zimbabwe Karate Union president, Chikutu, said the visit by the Indian Grandmaster shows that the sport is developing locally.
“It is quite an honour to have a respected guest like S. Srinivasan in our country. It shows that our standards are improving and whatever he taught last year, we have been able to implement it.
“Earlier on, we had said that we were going to have an African event but he said we should start with a national competition first.
“We are working on the Zone Six championships and this is the best way for us because we are going to have our referees are going to attend a course and it’s a major boost for us.
“We have had a problem of referees when we go for international competitions, now it is a stepping stone for us,” said Chikutu.
The ZKU president also said that they are looking forward to a tough competition at the weekend’s national invitational championships.
“We are expecting a high level of competition. At the moment we are using it as a platform for the Zone Six selection,” said Chikutu.
The weekend’s championships will feature other karate styles that are practised in Zimbabwe and will cater for both semi-contact and full-contact fighters.
Some of the semi-contact styles that have confirmed their participation in this event include JSSK, shukokai kimura, dentokan, JKA shotokan and shitoryu while the full-contact section is made up of ashihara, extreme contact, kyokushin and bino-ryu.
The Zimbabwean Branch Chief of the bino-ryu karate style, Shihan Manjoro, said they are going to field their fighters in both the semi-contact and full-contact sections during the weekend’s event.
Meanwhile, S. Srinivasan is expected to conduct his first referees’ course tomorrow at 10am at Monomotapa Crowne Plaza.