For the first time in its history, the International Karate Daigaku World Cup will allow athletes below the rank of brown belt to compete, giving 15 Barbadian newcomers the opportunity to proudly represent their country.
This is the fourth World Cup and as many as 500 karatekas from 20 countries will be flying into Guyana to participate. The event will be held at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall in Georgetown from today to Sunday.
This year’s World Cup is being hosted in honour and celebration of Shuseki Shihan’s 60th anniversary.
On Tuesday and yesterday, a team of 26 athletes, including seven experienced male and female adults, departed Barbados with the intention of matching the island’s overall firstplace result in Barbados in 2018.
This is the first World Cup since 2018 due to interference from the COVID-19 pandemic and team manager Corey Greaves said he was feeling good about the national team’s preparation in general.
“The juniors in the team are a bit nervous but they have been training since last year, so we are expecting good performances from them. This is the first time that the tournament has opened the competition for underbrown belts, so now they are allowing for what we call coloured ranks.
“We are excited to see how the newcomers perform as they have been working very hard. General preparations have also been good. We’ve been managing the training sessions to ensure minimal injuries and also to determine when the athletes peak. It should be a good tournament all round,” said Greaves.
Leading the team as head coach is Neil Skeete, a highly respected figure in Barbadian karate with extensive coaching experience.
Greaves, who is also a former Barbados team
captain, will be keen on ensuring the smooth operation of procedures and the well-being of the athletes throughout the competition.
President of the Barbados Karate Association, Paul Bernstein, was also at the Grantley Adams International Airport to see the Barbados team off and said he was confident they would do their best.
“This is the first time we are taking such a young, inexperienced team but they will hopefully gain the experience and exposure that is necessary to keep Barbados karate alive. Only six members of the team are over 19 years old so we think this experience will be great for their development. I want to wish everyone well and a safe trip going and coming and I hope they enjoy the tournament,” said Bernstein.
Bernstein has been practising karate for 51 years, and January next year will be 40 years he has been president of the Barbados Karate Association. (DG)
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