Egypt's karate players were part of a long awaited reunion championship in Japan Karate, born in Japan and played around the world, boasts more than 60 million members. Yet no major karate tournament has been held in Japan since 1977. But the 19th World Senior Championship was held in the sport's birthplace after a 31-year absence. From 13-16 November, 1,200 top athletes from 120 countries gathered in Budokan, the holy ground of martial arts in Tokyo, reports Ghada Abdel-Kader. Sixteen Egyptian athletes participated in the biennial championship. In the kumite, Tamer Abdel-Raouf, 70kg, won a bronze medal while Mohamed Abdel-Rahman,75kg, and Hani Shaker, 80kg, won silver medals. In team kumite, Abdel-Rahman, Mohaned Magdi, Sayed Salem, Shaker, Abdel-Raouf, Mustafa El-Sayed and Mohamed Abdullah won bronze medals. Mustafa Ibrahim won a bronze in the individual kata. President of the Egyptian Karate Federation (EKF) Abdel-Moneim El-Bishbishi thanked the president of the National Sports Council (NSC) Hassan Sakr for his support. "When I took over as president of the EKF, I found the treasury empty. The EKF is now financial subsidised for LE360,000 from the NSC in order to pay registration fees and the expenses of the championship," El-Bishbishi said. Technical director of the EKF Ayman Abdel-Hamid said the championship had not been held in Japan for this long because many other countries were capable of hosting it. Sakr will award the winners with the prize money -- LE100,000 for the gold medal, LE45,000 for the silver and LE25,000 for the bronze. "In this championship, we amazed the world with our high-level performance. All teams now want to come to Egypt to play us," added Abdel-Hamid. Abdel-Hamid said he blamed himself for Egypt not winning any gold medals "due to slight differences in tactics after the World Karate Federation (WKF) issued penalty points for contact deemed too strong. So our players won some matches on points but lost others because of penalties. "Egypt has won 30 world titles in only four years," El-Bishbishi said. "We are the pioneers at the Arab and African level. On the international map, we won five gold and two bronze medals in the 2007 World Junior Championship and two bronze and three silver medals in the 2006 World Senior Championship." "Karate is very popular in Egypt. We have more than 600 players registered in the EKF. Suspense is what distinguishes karate from any other sport. It is very easy to play. But karate has not received due attention in the media like many other sports, added Abdel-Hamid. EKF passed through a transitional period that can cause the disruption of any team in the world. On 27 September a new board was elected, but Abdel-Hamid told Al-Ahram Weekly, "We didn't feel anything at all. If anything, the new administrative board was more understanding. They do all we ask of them. "Before any championship, EKF holds tournaments to choose the best four players in each weight category. After two months we then choose the best two players who will continue for the rest of the year. "A player's performance in a match decides whether he will participate in a championship. Competition motivates a player so he won't feel that he is the only champion." Abdel-Hamid said he was opposed to the Olympic champion project "which spends a lot of money on just one player. I can't guarantee the performance of a player after one year." There is a good possibility that karate will be an Olympic sport in 2016. During a medical conference held in Tokyo on 12 November several issues on the safety of karate were discussed. It has become evident that the changes in competition rules have been associated with a marked reduction in the rate of injuries during world level competitions. Abdel-Hamid said the rules and regulations of karate have become easy for spectators to understand. "Recent statistics also show karate is one the cleanest sports in the world." "In the coming period, the EKF will enter all data concerning the members, coaches, players, referees and results of championships on the federation's website," El-Bishbishi said. The federation's agenda for 2009 is full. The EKF is preparing for the Mediterranean Games in Italy, the Mediterranean Championships for Juniors in Egypt, and the World Junior Championships in Morocco.
