2nd Annual Senior National Karate championships this Sunday
Sport Karate is becoming increasingly popular in Belize, especially with athletes bringing back numerous medals from international competitions. This weekend the local karatekas will be challenging each other in the second annual senior national karate championships. The event, which will be held on Sunday, is expected to be an impressive display of skill and discipline as athletes ages sixteen and older compete in the areas of Kata and Kumite. President of the Belize Karate Federation, Herman Pastor, says they will also be playing by the new rules of the World Karate Federation.
Herman Pastor, President, Belize Karate Federation
“It’s a national senior championship, which is basically for adults. We’ll have forms, which is Katas—sixteen and older can participate in katas but in kumite, the fighting part of it is eighteen and older. So hopefully we’re having people from north to south.”
Delahnie Bain
Herman Pastor
“So you don’t know as yet how many athletes will be competing?”
Herman Pastor
“Not as yet, clubs are still sending in registrations. Usually we have less athletes in the adult tournaments. We have bigger championships in the children sector because we have more children practicing karate than adults. But we’re trying—we decided to give the adults a break because we’ve been having mostly junior championships but we also want to keep the adults motivated. A lot of people resign from competing early in Belize because there’s no activities for adults so we’ve decided to focus on adults for the last couple of years also and try to keep them motivated.”
Delahnie Bain
“So where and what time will these championships be held?”
Herman Pastor
“It will be held at the St. Mary’s Parish in Belize City and we’re starting about nine a.m. on Sunday. Also, the rules of sport karate has changed first of January 2012 So we had a training for referees sponsored by British Caribbean Bank last weekend and so we’ll be trying out the new rules as well; new rules of the World Karate Federation.”
Delahnie Bain
“Anything else you’d like to say to encourage the public to come out?”
Herman Pastor
“Well, I’d like to encourage the country to come out. Karate is one of the sports that we do well in, in international games and international championships. I would like to eventually bring karate up to the number one sport in Belize.”
