Team SA ready to host World Shoto Cup
SOUTH Africa hosts the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF) World Cup in Cape Town this week as local exponents of the martial arts prepare to up their game in preparation for the 2020 Beijing Olympics, when karate will be included for the first time.
The 3rd World Shoto Cup, as it is known, will feature karatekas from 20 countries and South Africa has assembled a formidable team in the hope of dominating the event.
Proteas women’s coach Sensei Vijay Govender, who recently achieved her kata and kumite World Karate Federation coach’s qualification in Croatia, said Team South Africa was primed and ready to do battle with the world’s best exponents in this form of martial arts.
“The ISKF World Shoto Cup is held every four years and South Africa is honoured to host the 3rd one. Approximately 186 athletes from South Africa will compete at this elite event. These athletes were selected at the ISKFSA Nationals held in 2014, where they won medals in their respective age and belt categories.
“The vice-president of ISKG, Sensei Hiro Okazaki, will also be at the event and will conduct courses during this time,” said Govender.
Her dojo, the Association of Shotokan Karate-do South Africa (ASKDSA), which is led by her father, Sensei Dennis Kumarasamy, will have 25 representatives taking part in the world cup.
“The athletes from ASKDSA have spent the past two years preparing for this event. A lot of hard work, dedication, sacrifice and perseverance went into the preparation.”
Govender said the youngest athlete from her dojo was 8-year-old Yjana Maharaj: “Yajna will compete in the kata (sequence of movements) and kihon (basic fighting skills) categories in the 8-9-year-old development group. Then we have 12-year-old Abigail Govender, who just competed at the WKF World Junior Youth Games in Croatia in July this year. She will also be competing in the 12 to 13 years kata and kumite (contact fighting) elite (brown and black belts) category, where she aims to bring home a medal,” said Govender.
Chief instructor of ASKDSA Sensei San Pillay said: “It will be the first time for most of the selected athletes from ASKDSA to compete at an international world class event, except for Sensei Chantal Kumarasamy, Kevasha Mahabeer, Himesh Sookoo and Abigail Govender, who previously represented South Africa at the WKF Commonwealth Championships held in India in September last year.”
At this event Abigail and Kevasha won bronze and silver medals respectively in their divisions.
The event takes place at the International Conference Centre in Cape Town from today (Wednesday) until next Monday.