Stage set for World karate Championships

The championship which is being staged by the Purple Dragon Martial Arts Club, begins with a docu-film session at 8 am this morning, which is expected to record glimpses of the culture and lifestyle of Trinidad and Tobago.

The film shoot will feature a number of TT’s top karatekas as well as some of the world’s best, involved in a synchronised kata demonstration.

These experts include Professor Don Jacob, Tae Bo creator and actor — American Billy Blanks, Professor Bobb Mueller of Best Karate School in Canada, Professor Robert Crosson, the founder of Sugar Ryu Jiu Jitsu martial arts style, Michael Komoto, a top Kendo expert and Professor Arthur Dennery of Antigua. The film will be called Born to Win and will be edited and packaged to be shown to an international and local audience later this year.

The session will be followed by a press conference in which the international experts will be presented to the local media.

However karate action will kick-off at 10 am with the preliminary rounds of competition in different categories such as continuous sparring, weapons, extreme weapons, creative weapons, self defence — for individual and team, synchronised team competition and the kata.

Preliminary round action will in fact take place both today and tomorrow before the finals tomorrow night from 9 pm. Action will take place from the Under-five age bracket right up to the veterans which will feature over 35 karatekas. Newsday learnt that the top three karatekas in each age division will advance to tomorrow’s final when there will be keen battle to crown the champion.

Saturday night is being seen as the most exciting night of the tournament as, not only will the best in each age bracket and division be decided but also the “Champions of Champions.”

This is when the champion in each division will face-off with the champion of other division to be crowned overall on a night labelled “Night of the Champions.”

Local karatekas told Newsday they are ready for the challenge and are confident that they will, not only be among the medal and trophy winners, but also become a world title champion for Trinidad and Tobago.

The tournament be completed on Sunday with the Hall of Fame induction.