daniel chigunwe
Ellina Mhlanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE Karate Union are intensifying their preparations for the upcoming 1st Kyokushin Kenbukaikan World Championship to take place next month in Zambia.
The tournament is scheduled for October 24 to 26 in Lusaka.
ZKU president Tawanda Mufundisi said they are hoping to field a big team for the tournament.
“We have got two international tournaments that are very important for the Zimbabwe Karate Union. The first one is in Zambia. That’s a world tournament. It’s being hosted by the International Kyokushin Kenbukaikan Karate Alliance,” he said.
The second one is the 29th Dragon Cup International Karate Friendship Championship in Kagoshima, Japan. But for this one, the invitation is specifically for the International Karate Organisation (IKO) Nakamura Zimbabwe.
It is scheduled for October 26.
Seasoned instructors Kumbirai Musinami and George Mutambu are in charge of the national squad training, with sessions rotating from one dojo to another in Harare.
“This is what we are looking forward to. We have started preparations already.
“We are fielding athletes as the Zimbabwe Karate Union that’s why we are training as a squad not as different organisations or styles and try to foster a unity of purpose in a quest to develop our karate to another level.
“We believe together we are stronger, divided we fall. “But the other tournament in Japan was an invitation directed to the International Karate Organisation Nakamura Zimbabwe . . . We are looking forward to sending a team of nine members — eight athletes and one official.
“But we are looking forward to sending a big team to Zambia,” said Mufundisi.
Musinami said they are hoping to send at least 30 to 35 karatekas for the 1st Kyokushin Kenbukaikan World Championship.
“We are looking at approximately 30 to 35 fighters. That’s the minimum number.
“But in camp now, the athletes that are coming for training are in excess of 55.
“Some are definitely going to make the standard, because it’s a world tournament we want to travel with those who are up to scratch in terms of that level.
“We have been there before, we know what is expected.
“Zambia is close by, in terms of travelling expenses, it will be much cheaper for us. It’s an advantage to us.
“So, our target basically is to take as many as we can, but we want quality in the team,” said Musinami. The tournament will feature different Kyokushin styles, making the competition tough.
Being the second world tournament on African soil, Musinami said they expect more fighters from the continent to be part of the event.
“It’s going to be competitive because it’s a world tournament. And what’s going to make it a bit complex is that many Kyokushin styles will be there.
“So, the competition is definitely going to be very tough. And, because it’s in Africa, which is a rare occurrence, many African countries are looking at sending full teams to this event.
“And likewise, we also want to send a full team, but a team of highly competitive athletes.
“The last one was in 2013 in Durban . . . So, you also do your own research to try and assess the competition.
“We have been preparing. We are now in September; basically, actual preparation started in June, but we said, let’s let our styles build the base for the fighters.
“Then from August, we brought all these athletes together that have been selected from different styles and we are meeting them and we assess their preparedness and also preparing them.
“In these events, they have to be 100 percent prepared, no guesswork, because if you take an athlete, they might get hurt through contact. You don’t want that,” Musinami said.
On the local scene, ZKU are looking forward to a number of tournaments before the end of the year, including the Champion of Champions held annually.
Online Reporter