Eleven members of the Pan African Shotokan Karate Federation will be participating in this year’s virtual Royal WKMF World E-Kata Karate Championship.

Five young girls, aged seven to 14, and six senseis have been selected to represent their country and the Springs community.

The championship is a virtual tournament which requires the selected karatekas and senseis to record themselves from their local studio and then submit their videos.

From April 1 to 20, they will record their videos and submit them. The final results will be released in May.

“This achievement is meaningful because this is the first tournament that we have entered where we are representing South Africa,” said Sensei Michael Cindi.

He added that what’s most important to them is not winning but getting the knowledge and witnessing their growth. They will be participating in the kyu and black belt division.

“We selected them based on their performance in the katas. We judge kata based on their body structure and flexibility to see which kata best suits them,” Cindi explained.

He expressed how proud he is of the karateka who train in their dojo.

“I’m proud of everyone because if I got to select a team that can represent South Africa, it shows that the work is paying off. I want them to have this experience to see their growth, if there’s a winner, that will be a bonus,” he said.

The following youngsters and senseis have been selected:

• Sensei Dave More
• Sensei Yusuf Moreriane
• Sensei Nkululeleko Manentsa
• Sensei Michael Cindi
• Sensei Mpendulo Nyembe
• Sim Ndimande (7)
• Chaendra Jones (13)
• Palesa Mukonyora (14)
• Thembelihle Radebe (12)
• Thandolwethu Mohale (13)

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