22 Sep 2015

The vice chairperson of the Jwaneng Karate Club, Julius Sebako says the annual Jwaneng Karate Open Championship is showing signs of growth.

Over 100 karatekas aged between six and 21 converged on Jwaneng over the weekend to participate in the annual event. Participants came from different areas including Thebephatshwa, Kanye, Mabule, Orapa, Moshupa and Jwaneng. Sebako said even though they had expected more clubs to turn up, the tournament had shown growth in terms of participation and organisation as compared to last year.

He said they acknowledged that some clubs could not make it due to various reasons. He said as the host, the event was the biggest in their calendar and they used it to test their strength on various aspects such as their capability to host other clubs. He said even though a bigger turn out would have helped gauge their strengths better, he was still impressed at the high performance displayed by his team and the rest of the participants.

He said his team collected 20 medals due to commitment and dedication from both the team and the club management. “Most of our karatekas are small but technically they are good. We also start training them at a very young age so it works to our advantage,” he explained. Furthermore, Sebako attributed their competitiveness to the kind of exposure that they subject their athletes to, saying they always participate in different tournaments even outside Botswana.

He, however, challenged parents to give their children as much support as possible in order to be motivated. He noted that  though their athletes were only awarded medals, their goal was  to attract sponsors who could help them with financial incentives. “Monetary prizes usually boost the morale and attract more participants to come forth.”

Giving words of motivation, Jwaneng mayor, Tsietsi Oodira-Kwenje urged the young karatekas to draw inspiration from their counterparts who continue to represent the country at international events. 

He encouraged them to take their sport seriously since there was a future in sport. “Take yourselves serious. Take karate serious because you are the future leaders of karate. Respect the rules and regulations as given by your instructors and you shall prosper,” he noted.

He said their dedication would also attract sponsors who would invest in their sport. Furthermore, he advised them to stay away from alcohol and drugs because they could destroy their future and shutter their dreams to represent the country in various tournaments.

He said his intention of turning Jwaneng into a sport hub depended on the dedication displayed by different sporting codes, including karate. 

“I would want this town to be able to host different sport codes on any given weekend, and that dream can only come true if you take yourselves serious,” he said. Ends