Over the next week, all Egyptian karate eyes will turn to Bremen, Germany. From Wednesday 5 to Sunday 9 November, around 900 athletes representing 107 nations will compete for the honour of becoming the new world karate champions in one of 16 existing categories. The Egyptian team includes 19 players participating in both the kata and kumite events and hoping to continue the achievement of two years ago when they finished a respectable sixth among 116 countries in the World Championship held in France with a total of six medals. As Sayed Nasr, head of the Egyptian delegation, told the press before travelling to Germany, “We have very high hopes of improving on our previous ranking and collecting more medals since the national team has a number of athletes who are world champions as well as new faces who are doing their best to win a medal as well.” In individual categories, eight Egyptian winners from the last edition in Paris two years ago will fight to hold on to their title of world champions, one of which is Magdi Hanafi (Egypt, male 67kg). Other title holders defending their crown will be Alexandra Recchia (France, fem 50kg), Lucie Ignace (France, fem -55kg), Kayo Someya (Japan, fem 68kg), Nadège Ait Ibrahim (France, fem +68kg), Antonio Diaz (Venezuela, male kata), Magdi Hanafi (Egypt, male 67kg), Luigi Busa (Italy, male -75kg) and Enes Erkan (Turkey, male +84kg). Reigning champions and grand winners will be facing face fierce competition in all categories, with between 45 and 74 competitors depending on the category. Hosts Germany includes a full team of 22 athletes. The World Karate Championships will take place in Bremen for the first time and the second in Germany after Munich 2000. About 600 volunteers and helpers will support the event not only throughout Germany, but abroad too .They have stepped forward to help the largest event in the history of the German Karate Federation. Alongside the championship, Egypt will participate for the first time ever in the first official World Championship for people with mental disabilities, with a five-player team. Mustafa Fekri, Egyptian Karate Federation board member, told Al-Ahram Weekly that the federation had held a number of national championships for a number of mentally disabled athletes who play karate. The winners formed the Egyptian mentally disabled national team. “We believe they have an equal right to participate and compete in events to show the world their talents.” Fekri added that the mentally disabled karate players are not included under the Paralympic committee as it is not an Olympic sport, “which is why the federation formed its own national team that will represent Egypt in all coming international events”. This championship is the result of a five-year project called “The way to the first World Karate championships for persons with disabilities” launched in 2009. The World Karate Federation (WKF) wanted to intensify the inclusion of their athletes with disabilities in its sports programme worldwide and in the national sports programmes of its members such as championships, seminars and training in clubs. At the same time the WKF wants to raise awareness of their member countries and its karate organisations for the needs of karatekas with disabilities. In this aim the WKF sees a major, global and social contribution to which it has committed itself to promote and improve social interaction in sports worldwide and of all people in the world. In 2009, the first regional Open Championships for Karate with Disabilities in Bavaria/Germany, following the German Championships, was organised by the German Karate Association (DKV) in Cooperation with the German Sports Association for People with Disabilities (DBS). Both championships were integrated to emphasise the social and sporting interaction and to point out the self-evidence of the coexistence of disabled and non-disabled athletes. In 2012 a successful demonstration was carried out on te sidelines of the World Championship of the WKF in Paris. Standing ovations for the participants, great performances and fantastic organisation and scenery helped to convince the WKF and its members that the next World Championship should be accompanied by an official World Championship for Persons with Disabilities. This was a very important milestone for people with disabilities. Forty-seven athletes from 21 countries have registered in the three existing categories: blind/visually impaired, wheelchair users and people with learning disabilities. According to Wolfgang Weigert, chairman of the WKF Commission for Persons with Disabilities, the event is significant for recognition of all types of karate. “This competition will be just as appreciated as the other competition taking place during these days, the 22nd World Senior Championships,” Weigert said. “We want to make clear that we are one team – disabled or not. And the arena will be sold out with more than 10,000 spectators every day, which will make a wonderful opportunity for athletes with disabilities and also for the spectators.” Meanwhile, Ayman Abdel-Hamid , Egyptian Karate Federation president, has decided to enter the International Karate Federation Executive Committee elections to be held alongside the competitions. Abdel-Hamid is eyeing one of three African seats. “The competition will be immense but Egypt has been absent for a long time from the international scene and it has to restore its fame and pride and that is why I was persuaded to compete for a place.” Abdel-Hamid started his career as a karate player, then became the national team kata technical manager and recently the head of the Egyptian federation.
