ZKU satisfied with preps

Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
Zimbabwe Karate Union president Joe Rugwete has expressed satisfaction with the progress made in their preparations for the Africa Union Sports Council Region Five Championships to be staged in Harare next month.

Zimbabwe will host the AUSC Region Five karate championships from May 26 to 28 in Harare with different countries from the Southern Africa region expected to take part.

Rugwete said they had secured part of the funding for the event and have engaged the Government to assist with finding a suitable venue for the regional competition.

“The whole event will cost us around $26 000 and we have secured funding for half of the total budget.

“We have engaged the Government for assistance with the venue.

“We have managed to secure sponsorship for the secretary-general for the referee’s commission World Karate Federation from Sweden, Javier Escalante.

“We got the sponsorship from the World Karate Federation for him to come here,” said Rugwete.

Rugwete said the championships present an opportunity for local fighters to showcase their talent as most of them struggled to compete outside the country because of lack of funding.

“It gives us the opportunity to showcase our local talent because we have been having difficulties in sending our people for events outside the country.

“But at least when we host it gives us the opportunity to field most of our fighters,” said Rugwete.

So far Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia have confirmed their participation.

ZKU national technical director for semi-contact styles Paul Danisa said the team was already in place and were now fine-tuning their athletes.

“We finalised our team about two months ago and now it’s just preparations. We had a few of our athletes going to the Gaborone Open a few weeks ago.

“It was a small contingent, we wanted them to see the standards of competition there. One of them Raphael Mukondiwa got a gold medal in kata and the other, Dean Ramsey, got silver.

“Preparations have been going on well. I have been to Bulawayo and Midlands myself twice.

“Masvingo and Triangle are still pending and in Harare training has been going on well,” said Danisa.

Last year Zimbabwe were fourth in the event held in South Africa but Danisa believes being the hosts this year, chances are high they can do better.

“We only managed to send eight athletes and we got 12 medals. Again it was an issue of funding, so we had a very depleted team.

“But we will be fully represented this year. We definitely have a good number of athletes who will be able to participate and are capable of winning.

“We would want to have a camp but it’s subject to availability of funds,” Danisa said.

Meanwhile, the karate union has hailed the quartet of Admire Chingozhoro, Samson Muripo, Shadreck Chigombe and Kelly Mtisi for a good show at the 47th All Japan Karate Open tournament held over the weekend. The event was for full contact-styles.

Chingozhoro came second and Muripo was sixth. The pair of Chigombe and Mtisi lost in the first and second round.

“The achievements of our boys continue to show that there is enormous talent in Zimbabwe which the Zimbabwe Karate Union is working to identify and nurture.”