20 Oct 2014

Lack of positive response from the corporate world is hampering efforts to unearth raw karate talent.

Speaking on the sidelines of the annual Hayashi-Ha Junior championships, one of the tournament organisers, national team captain and under 84kg karateka, Kaene Kago decried lack of funding to stage more tournaments and send athletes to regional and international meets. 

Kago said recently they sent a small number of athletes to Cape Town and the performance was dismal owing to lack of representation in other weight categories.

He said if the situation did not get better, their future participation in other competitive games remained uncertain because clubs did not have the financial capacity to send their karatekas outside the country. 

The Hayashi-ha style had ample experience in international tournaments having sent their students to tournaments such as the closely contested US Open karate championships and the Hayashi-Ha world cup staged in Malaysia and Spain in the past. 

The same karate style produced some of the finest karatekas the national team had ever called to camp in the mould of Kago, Ofentse Bakwadi, Khaya Groth and exciting girl’s karateka Pearl Ranna, who is on a long layoff due to a nagging knee injury.

The Saturday tournament attracted for the first time clubs such as the Thebephatshwa Airbase and Molepolole. 

The junior championships had karatekas as young as five years who performed exceptionally well, especially in the kata category with impressive performance from the likes of promising youngster Botlhe Ntshwabi scooping gold both in the kata and kumite after edging past Orea Topololo who also had a polished performance.

In the boy’s under 8 years Shayan Goi Goi edged out Milind Dussain in kumite.  It was a close tie in the boys under 17 when the reigning African Youth Games gold medalists’ trio of Phillipe Revaka, Leonard Modise and Tshepo Baumake went for the jugular. 

Revaka who has been on excellent form with his kata moves convinced the judges ahead of Baumake in a thrilling final. He was also awarded for his efforts in kumite. ENDS