Kisumu County on Sunday hosted the National Inter-Counties Karate Championships, with over 12 teams from across the country participating in the competitions.
The event sponsored by the Kenya Karate Federation, in conjunction with the Kisumu County Karate Association, saw over six categories featured at the fete.
The categories include the senior male and female team ‘kata’ and ‘Kumite’, a special category for juniors under 16 years for both boys and girls ‘kata’, where ‘Kumite’ refers to fighting while ‘kata’ is the system of training that is showcased before a bench of judges.
Assistant Technical Director of the Kenya Karate Federation, Mr. Patrick Gichine, said the national club championships usually happen at the end of the year, from October to December.
The individual championships occur in the first quarter of the year, while the inter-county club championship is hosted in mid-year.
Did you read this?
“During this championship, we usually select the members of the national team to participate in the All African Games,” Gichine said.
The All African Games will be held in Accra, Ghana, in March 2024.
On his part, Lake Region Karate Association chairman, Dr. Mark Ouche, says that karate has picked up over the years, with several clubs and schools like Kisumu Boys School and Jalaram Academy fully embracing the art.
Dr. Ouche, the founder of the Kisumu Karate Academy, which started in 1993, says the region has several functional sports clubs.
“Since sports is devolved, it is expected that the county government should come up with support schemes for all sporting activities, including karate, but you’ll find them only focusing on football,” Dr. Ouche said.
“Karate is very different from Taekwondo, despite many people confusing the two. Karate integrates other martial arts, including Judo, and an element of boxing. Karate can either be a very vicious art or the moderated form for sports scoring.”
“Karate means ‘open hands’, as the sport is a martial art where you use your open hands, kara,” he explains.
“I would like to tell other youth to join the great art of karate, which keeps you busy and away from drugs because of the discipline it dispels,” advises Martin Maina from the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) team.
The KNH team defended the trophy in the male kata category, with the KNH female team also bagging gold. The Kenya Police Service teams B and A bagged silver and bronze, respectively.
The Kenya Police Service carried the day in the male Kumite category, with the Moi University team winning gold in the female category.
