CAIRO - Although the sport is not yet an Olympic one and won't figure in next year's Olympics, Egypt's karatekas were impressive in the International Karate Championship held in England last month. "The Egyptian karatekas won nine gold medals, seven silvers and six bronzes in the men and women's kumite and kata competitions," Abdel-Moneim el-Bishbishi, the President of the Egyptian Karate Federation (EKF), told the Egyptian Gazette. The World Karate Federation (WKF) competitions have two disciplines: sparring (kumite) and forms (kata). Competitors may enter either as individuals or as part of a team. A panel of judges evaluate kata, whereas sparring is judged by a head referee, usually with assistant referees at the side of the sparring area. Sparring matches are typically divided by weight, age, gender and experience. In the women's kata competition, Egypt's Sarah Essam snatched the gold medal and Mai Gamal silver, while in the men's competition Moustafa Ibrahim grabbed gold. "Today, with a universal and stable World Karate Federation, representing 180 countries from the five continents, I hope it will figure in the Olympic programme soon. “The game has tremendous potential for growth, not only in Egypt but all over the world," el-Bishbishi added. In the individual kumite competition, Ahmed el-Shafei, Ahmed Nasser and Mohamed Gamal swept the board in the under-70kg category, winning gold, silver and bronze. In the same category in the women's competition, Egyptian karateka Heba Abdel-Rahman grabbed the gold medal, followed by Sherihan Abdel-Rahman who picked up silver. "Although karate isn't yet included in the Olympics, I've already decided that, when it does happen one day, we'll have 15 karatekas aged from 12 to 14 representing more than 1,000 clubs,” he explained. The talented official stressed that karate uses the power of the mind, body and spirit, boosting your self-confidence and adding a new dimension to your life as a new source of energy. In the men's 75kg category, Mohamed Abdel-Rahman snatched the gold medal and first place, with Sayyed Salem settling for silver and Tamer Abdel-Raouf and Karim Hassanein both winning bronze. "The competition was fierce, so I'm very proud at what we achieved,” el-Bishbishi said. In the men's over 75kg category, Mohaned Magdi snatched the gold medal, while Abdel-Rahman Ahmed grabbed silver and Mohamed Saeed and Osama Abdel Aziz shared bronze. In the women's over 53kg category, Shaimaa Magdi snatched gold, Basma Mamdouh silver and Yasmine Saeed bronze. Khalid Anwar, the technical coach of Zamalek Club, said that Egypt's winning nine gold medals in an international championship is a good sign, making us the top of Arab and African countries. Karate as a means of self-defence is ancient, going back hundreds of years. It was only recently that the techniques handed down over the centuries were scientifically studied and the principles evolved for making the most effective use of the various moves of the body. El-Bishbishi explained that training based on these principles and knowledge of the working of the muscles is vital, as movement and balance enable the modern student of karate to be prepared, both physically and psychologically, to defend himself successfully. He explained that the remarkable progress of karate internationally had made the game very popular worldwide, not only as a martial art, but also as a sound sport. "Karate sport is now Egypt's second most popular sport after football," said el-Bishbishi, adding that there are around 500,000 karatekas registered with the EKF from all of Egypt's 28 governorates. The Egyptian youth team are now in a closed camp, getting ready for the World Karate Championship, due to be held in Greece next month. “We have decided to hold a closed camp to give our karatekas more time to train professionally for the coming competition,” said Mohamed Fathi, the technical coach of the Egyptian Youth Team, explaining that this camp includes a physical and technical programme, focusing on kumite and kata. “We're pinning a lot of hope on our young karatekas to grab gold medals in this tournament, which will give them the confidence to compete in such global tournaments,” he pointed out. Egypt's local youth league ended two weeks ago, after a long stoppage due to the January 25 revolution which toppled Hosni Mubarak's regime. In the men's over 76kg category, El-Zohour Club came first, with Police Union earning second place and silver, while Heliopolis snatched bronze. In the women's over 59kg category, Smouha Club seized gold, while the Police Union came second, followed by El-Geish. The Egyptian national team also did very well in the Scottish International Open Championships held last April in Meadowbank Stadium, Edinburgh, with over 800 karatekas from 15 countries competing. Egyptian junior and youth team won 21 gold medals, 10 silvers and seven bronzes. The EKF's agenda for the second half of 2011 is full. The big events include the World Junior Championship in Greece from July 4-10 and the African Championship, to be held in Mozambique in September. Egypt's karatekas collected 14 gold medals, one silver and ten bronzes at the 2008 African Karate Championship held in Benin. In 2008, they grabbed six golds, 13 silvers and eight bronzes in the 2008 Senior Mediterranean Games in Turkey.
