Madlala shines in Russia
The African Full Contact Karate Organisation (Afcko) tournament held in May at the Thokoza Auditorium Hall selected sempai Anele Madlala to represent them in the World Fighting Kyokushin Organisation (WFKO) which took place in Russia on October 12. The organisation was established in 2016.
Madlala left the country on October 9 as only Africa’s representative for the world championship tournament. He beat Kizov Andrei on points over five rounds.
The founder of the organisation, Shihan Thulani Sibisi, said contrary to expectations, Madlala surprised many by winning the world championship title.
“The tournament featured only the best fighters from Spain, Russia, Africa, and Japan, where our champ didn’t disappoint us by winning the WFKO world championship. He made us all proud in Africa.
“One of the objectives was to give African fighters an opportunity to participate in an international stage. We didn’t expect it would yield the results it did so quickly. This shows the quality we have in Africa, and the hunger our karate students have for success,” Sibisi told Kathorus MAIL.
He warned the so-called best countries to take note of Africa’s intention to dominate the sport.
“This must be an eye-opener to karate organisations in Africa that if we work together we can achieve more. As the president of Afcko, I am proud of Madlala for showing the world that the full contact karate is alive in Africa. We hope the corporate world will invest in our sports so that many karate students from disadvantaged communities will get an opportunity to participate internationally,” said Sibisi.
Madlala said he was humbled by his own success. “The tournament was hard, but what gave me the spirit to fight for success was the desire to do well for my country. So I had to do it with pride,” said Madlala.
Madlala said he would like to extend his gratitude to the WFKO for giving Africa the opportunity to showcase its talent in the full contact world.
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