Kicking against the storm

THE Zimbabwe Kickboxing Association (ZKA) have revealed their Christmas wish list after what has been a trying year for the beleaguered federation.

The one thing that seems to be able to give the nation’s aspiring kickboxers a little Christmas cheer and hope for 2024 is sponsorship.

“The year 2023 has been a very good year in terms of healthy competition, with the only missing piece being adequate resources, which saw us miss out on a lot of things,” said

Eric Chengaose, a ZKA board member and national team welfare manager.

“The World Kickboxing Association release their calendar list of events at the beginning of every year, and we missed out on a lot of those due to lack of resources.

“We failed to send our athletes to the WKA African Championships that were held in Senegal, and it was the same story for the Desert Storm event that was held in Namibia earlier this month and many other key events.

“We have really good fighters in the country, some who have the potential to go far, and we have a rich history in tournaments like the Desert Storm, which we have won in the past,” he said.

After the Covid-19 pandemic, kickboxing was among the sports that experienced a delayed comeback due to the severe financial challenges.

ZKA only held their first official tournament in March last year.

“We have held numerous local tournaments, many of which witness a high turnout, but often struggle to secure venues, equipment and some monetary rewards for our fighters,”

said Chengaose.

“The issue of sponsorship has deeply affected our operations.

“The response from the local martial arts community is always high as we often see fighters from different styles attending our events.

“Among these are taekwondo, kung fu and karate. Kickboxing incorporates all these different styles and as such, the door is always open for them.

“The rules differ a little, and there is a need for workshops to explain them but this also needs money,” he said.

Despite all these struggles, ZKA seem hell-bent on kicking against the storm, and the year 2024 will be no different.

The association recently closed shop for the year with the Zimbabwe Kickboxing National Championships at Magamba Hall in Warren Park.

There, six dojos — Tokado, SJK, Crocodile, Ruwa, Aqua and Wing Chun kickboxing clubs — sent their fighters to tussle it out in the numerous weight categories.

In the 30kg boys’ category, SJK’S Israel Chiringa and Delvin Matwaya (Ruwa) had to share the spoils after their final ended in a draw. Malcolm Ngirazi beat Ashen Magaisa to the gold medal in the Under 55kg, while Denzel Kamangira won the Under 60kg category.

Also making it onto the winners’ podium were the likes of Royal Dengezi (Under 70kg), Victor Dube, Aullassio Migaio and Panashe Musariri in the tournament’s main bouts.