Hundreds of athletes will be in town this weekend for a national martial arts event at the Halifax Convention Centre.
The Senior and Under 21 National Karate Championships kick off Friday for the weekend to help select for the senior Pan American Championships in Rio de Janeiro this spring.
Craig Vokey is the chair of the board for the National Federation in the 18 to 20 division.
In an interview with our newsroom Vokey says it’s the first time the tournament has been back in Nova Scotia since 2018; the venue is fantastic and the feeling is really good.
“It’s actually turned out to be much bigger than we first thought it was going to be,” says Vokey. “We’re almost double the number of athletes and entries.”
There are 233 athletes in total with 315 entries, as some athletes are doing multiple events.
Photo: Karate Canada
Emmi German is competing in Female Under 21 – 50 kg division and female senior -84 kg division.
She says she started karate at the age of four, it’s all she’s really known and practicing karate is empowering.
“I feel like a lot of female athletes stop when they go into university or just that older age,” says German. “And I’ve seen a lot of female athletes continue on and they inspire me. That’s what I want to do.”
Photo: Karate Canada
Sean O’Neill is a black belt from Team Nova Scotia and is competing in the Senior Men’s Kumite – 84 kg division.
He tells us he’s been practicing karate for about 19 years after starting at the age of 11, has practiced in many tournaments, and it’s always exciting.
“The level of competition is always really high. It makes you really appreciate the success and the preparation that goes into this type of thing. It never gets old, year after year,” says O’Neill.
He says karate is a huge part of his life that goes beyond competition.
“It’s physically demanding. I think it really promotes a lot of discipline. It teaches the value of hard work. I think a lot of people can extend those lessons into the rest of their life.
Booming
Vokey says karate is a very popular sport, especially with the youth, considering the self-discipline.
“I think it’s very something that’s very favourable these days for many and it’s a very safe sport,” says Vokey.
The National Karate Championships run from February 20 to 22.
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