Top exponents in KK for Asian karate battle
KOTA KINABALU: All eyes will be on Sabah in April next year as some of the region’s top exponents will converge on the State capital for the 18th Asian Cadet, Junior and Under-21 Karate Championship.
It is scheduled for April 21-29 where the Kota Kinabalu Sports Complex in Likas near here is likely to be the tournament venue.
In revealing this yesterday, Sabah Karate Association (SKA) president Datuk Jake Jikulin Nointin confirmed the association had agreed to host one of the most important events under the Asian Karate Federation (AKF) calendar.
“The Supreme Council of SKA met on Wednesday and agreed to assist Makaf (Malaysia Karate Federation) to organise the championship.
“It will a huge honour to have the championship here as not only it will contribute greatly to karate development in the state but also helps boost the tourism industry,” he said.
Jake expected that more than 1,000 athletes, coaches and officials would be involved in the championship which had two main components, namely the referee course and to be followed by the championship programmes.
Meanwhile, Makaf will be sending a delegation to Sabah to inspect the proposed venue at the sports complex later this month and to be followed by another inspection by an AKF representative early next year.
For the record, Sarawak were all set to stage the championship only to pull out recently.
The 17th edition of the championship was held in Okinawa, Japan in May and Sabah’s exponent Pressy Misty Philip won a silver for the country.