adminkumite in Moscow, Russia, last weekend.
Four young local karatekas – Marlvin Chiredzero, Verily Muhambi, Clayton Chiredzero and Junior Gathry Chiredzero – carried the Zimbabwean flag at the two-day event, which was held on Saturday and Sunday, in the Russian capital.
Marlvin Chiredzero took part in the boys’ Under-13 age-group while Muhambi fought in the boys’ Under-16 section.
Clayton and Junior Gathry Chiredzero were the reserves.
But the team left the scene in Moscow empty-handed after Chiredzero and Muhambi were knocked out in the first round of their respective age-group competitions.
And the ZKU on Tuesday dissociated itself from this group of four young karatekas who in Moscow were under the guidance of the Branch Chief of the local kyokushin-kan style, Tendai Marange.
One of the style’s top instructors, Gathry Chiredzero, also travelled with the team to Moscow as its coach.
Joe Rugwete, the marketing executive of the ZKU, yesterday said Marange and his team were not cleared by his union to represent Zimbabwe at the inaugural Kyokushin-kan World Youth Championship in kumite in Moscow and were not the true representative side of the country.
“The team that went to Russia for the competition is not the Zimbabwe karate team. It is in actual fact a group of karatekas that train under a full contact style called kyokushin-kan under Sensei Tendai Marange.
“The bona fide national team is inactive and all current and aspiring members of the squad are busy preparing for the Zimbabwe Karate Union Champion of Champions annual tournament to be held in Kwekwe this coming weekend (on Saturday December 10, 2011).
“The style, though recognised, is currently not an affiliate of the Zimbabwe Karate Union as it did not pay its annual affiliation fees for 2011.
leeroy