UNITED World Kyokushin Karate Organisation (UWKKO) founder, Master Kancho Ismail, has commended local trainers for the job they are doing to mentor karatekas in the country.
The 73-year-old karate master was recently in Zimbabwe for the UKKWO Fireworks Round 4 Tournament held at Sunrise Sports Club in Belvedere in Harare.
“The tournament was very impressive, the standard is going very high, and I think you must give credit to the teachers and instructors. The Sensei’s- teachers, the Shihans, master, they are doing hard work and sacrificing, and this is the fruit of all their sacrificing,” Master Ismail told NewsDay Sport.
“I also go around the world and future world champions will be produced from here provided they keep going with the same standard the same spirit. For someone to become a champion, for someone to become a good fighter, they must take part in at least one tournament a month.
“In Zimbabwe, the karatekas are very lucky somehow, they have got this magic of being united. Kyokushin Karate after Oyama passed away in the early 1990s, all his advanced students started having their own organisations and they are about 15 or more organisations of Oyama. I am one of them and like that, there are so many. It is unique in Zimbabwe nowhere else in the world that all these organisations even today it is not fighters from UKKWO it is from all the organisations so this is something that is unique that is happening only in Zimbabwe. It’s not happening anywhere in the world.”
Master Ismail is a product of the late Masutatsu Oyama, commonly known as Mas Oyama, a South Korean karate master who founded Kyokushin Karate. He passed on in 1994.
“I’m 73 years old, and in December I will be 74 years old, I have devoted my life to going around promoting among the younger generation. I love the children; they are our future. We must look after it. If you have a fruit tree at home you are going to have to cherish it, and look after it so you can get the fruits. I mean the ants, insects mustn’t start eating so you cover them and bring them up in a good way,” added Master Ismail.
UKKWO Zimbabwe vice-president Shihan Peter Magumura said the presence of the SA-based founder made a huge impact on the athletes.
