27 Jun 2019

Preparations for the upcoming UFAK African Karate championships scheduled for Gaborone next month are going well. 

The chairperson of the local organising committee, Edwin Dikoloti said the games, which will feature both junior and senior athletes, were expected to bring together at least 35 countries and over a 1 000 karatekas.

So far, Dikoloti said 25 countries have already confirmed their attendance, adding that the closing date for registration was July 1.

He said from July 9 to 11 there would be a coaching and referees course.

Furthermore, Dikoloti revealed that unlike other sporting codes which hold their official opening ceremony on the first day, karate was different in the sense that they held their ceremony midway through the games, saying it was likely to be on July 12.

“The welcome ceremony will be on July 8 just to let our visitors know that all is well,” he said adding that they have also organised a cultural night to showcase the local culture and that of karate.

He said the  cultural night focus was to sell Botswana to the world, urging the media to help as much as they could.

He said tickets for the tournament were already available at Spar outlets and web tickets, saying karate fanatics would be able to buy a daily ticket or combo for the whole games.

An ensemble of team Botswana consists of 40 athletes, two senior coaches, one for the juniors and the other for seniors, while the other four will be assisting the two main coaches.

President of Botswana Karate Association, Sensei Tshepo Bathai said he was confident that team Botswana would hoist the country’s flag high, as they have been training a lot.

Bathai said the team would soon leave for Bloemfontein in South Africa to hone their skills and would be back on July 7.

The patron of the games is Kgosi Kgari Sechele III. ENDS