Wednesday 24th September 'report from the Commonwealth Karate Championships'
The weekend of 30th 31st August 2003 saw The Commonwealth Karate Championships at the Velodrome in Manchester. This was presented by the EKGB (English Karate Governing Body) and was watched by hundreds of spectators over the weekend. Zen-Shin took some of its members to watch in the event, where we saw some exceptional talent from various countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Jersey, Botswana, Malaysia, Cyprus, Northern Ireland, Wales, Sierra Leone, New Zealand, Scotland and not forgetting England.
As you know Manchester played host to the Commonwealth Games last year and was watched by millions of TV viewers worldwide. The games were a fantastic success not only for Manchester and England, but also for the Commonwealth as a whole. In light of this success and as part of the EKGB's efforts to get karate on the Commonwealth Games Programme in Melbourne, Australia in 2006, the EKGB decided to hold this event to promote the sport of karate.
There were various events over the course of the weekend, the most enjoyable being the Team Kata, both male and female. This event showed real perfection to the extreme and included the 'Bonki' (application) of the kata that the team performed. There wasn't a foot that was out of position, as Malaysia took Gold in both the male and female categories and England took the Silver in the male category. It shows that the more we do practice our kata's, the greater we will become.
Other events included male and female Team Kumite, Individual Kumite of various weight categories, Individual Open Kumite and Individual Kata. Again, this showed extreme talent and what can be achieved. England took a few Gold trophies, including the both Individual Open Kumite. We were just beaten for the Gold by New Zealand in the Male Individual Kumite and took the Silver.
This event just shows that if you practice and practice at Kata and Kumite then the rewards can be worth while at the end. We could even have a star in the making for the English Squad in Zen-Shin. Watch this space.
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